Chuck vs The Proposal
by shortpinoyguy
Summary: Morgan Grimes has a plan to ask Alex McHugh to marry him. The only problem that could very well hinder his plan to propose is her father Colonel John Casey. Of course, he has the support of Chuck and Sarah by his side. What will Casey answer be? Plus, Casey's past will play a pivotal role in all this. This story comes after Chuck vs. The First Year of Parenthood.
1. Word Has It

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _This story is mainly centered around Morgan Grimes and his plan to propose to his girlfriend Alex McHugh. Unfortunately, there's one problem he has to get past...John Casey. Will he succeed? Will he die? Anyways, Chuck, Sarah, and A.J. will be in the story as well along with the rest of the gang. Plus, some new characters as well. So, will there be a happy ending for Morgan and Alex when it's all said and done? Read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps._

 _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the read._

 **Word Has It**

 **XXX**

It has been a weeks since A.J. Bartowki's 1st birthday and since then some more milestones have been achieved one of them being able to walk. For the 1st year parents they were undoubtedly proud of their first born son but at the same time a sudden and scary realization came over them. That sudden and scary realization is he's not only mobile but upright as well. Once again, there are many other things to add on to the proverbial worry board in regards to keep A.J. safe as they as they possibly could knowing full well the both of them won't be able to always protect him from getting hurt.

As much as they would like to have a 24 hours watch on their little stinker, they'd have to settle for usual tag team shifts that they've become absolute pros now after a year of truly exhaustive hands on training. Yet, even though it was considerably exhaustive it was also an absolute learning experience as well in which they learned more about themselves than anything else and what they're capable of. Like any new parents, they've basically survived the first year of parenthood and even though they'll unknowingly face new challenges ahead that await them they're for the most part prepared for what is yet to come.

In the meantime, the happily married couple are enjoying a Friday night at Casa Bartowski in the family living room where a now 1 year old A.J. is walking in a stumbling manner back and forth towards his parents much to their delight. As this is happening, Sarah smiles and claps happily while encouraging her son who is a few inches away from trying to keep his balance while moving towards.

"You can do it baby. Good job." she said with absolute joy in her voice. It doesn't take long for A.J. to suddenly lunge forward taking several bounding baby steps into the awaiting arms of his proud and smiling mother. Mother and father celebrate as A.J. is being tightly and that the same time gently embraced by the former agent of the C.I.A.

Chuck claps and expresses proud laughter witnessing his son taking some momentous steps towards being able to fully walking by himself. "Awesome job son. We'll be chasing after you pretty soon." he said briefly pointing to his one year old boy.

"That's what I'm afraid of." responded Sarah with worried concern in her voice. The former nerd herd leader is momentarily silent as he reflects back on his infant son's accomplishment then expresses a bit of a chuckle causing the blonde beauty to quirk her right brow towards him. "What's so funny?"

In response, Chuck motions towards A.J. "I was thinking how A.J. was stumbling over to you. He looked like a mini stay puft marshmallow man."

Instantly Sarah rolls her eyes because she knows exactly what movie he's talking about. She's grown accustomed to her husband's pop culture reference because as a mom she gets up late at night watching movies during feeding times with A.J. or simply trying to get him back to sleep. "Ghostbusters."

"You got it babe." he proudly retorted with a grin. "Awesome. Anyways, when Gozer tells the guys to think of and choose a destroyer for New York Peter, Egon, and Winston immediately wipe their minds in order to not let whatever mentally pops in their head become the city's demise."

" _Unfortunately_ …" chimed in Sarah playfully bouncing her baby boy on top of her legs. "…Ray makes the mistake of thinking of a _childhood memory_ that meant so much to him."

Chuck nods. "Yeah. At Camp Wakanda, roasting marshmallows by the fire if I recall." He pauses for a moment thinking about that particular part of the movie. The youngest Bartowski sibling continues on. "It's considered to be one of the _funniest scenes_ in the movie along with a _memorable quote_."

"Which one? There were _so many_ babe?" questioned Sarah.

"Winston's to Ray about Gozer asking if any of the guys were a God."

Instantly Sarah nods acknowledging the particular quote in question. " _Ray_ , if someone asks you…

It's at that point Chuck repeats the same quote along with his wife. "….if you're a _God_ you say _yes!_ " they both say in unison.

Afterwards expressing shared laughter, it's Chuck he speaks up. "You know your movies and quotes for that matter. _Impressive. Most impressive_."

" _Star Wars_ …" Sarah responded pointing at her husband. "…and _Darth Vader_ said it I think. I got that reference because you're a massive Star Wars nerd." she proudly proclaimed with a smile.

Chuck is momentary silent sitting there across from his wife. It's a silence that causes Sarah to a bit concerned but those concerns would most certainly be unwarranted when he suddenly speaks up. "You are so _hot_ right now."

Once again Sarah rolls her eyes after hearing that from her husband. She picks up a half full plastic water bottle that's on the coffee table to her left with her left hand. "Cool off loverboy." she said tossing it over to him.

Chuck catches it expressing amused laughter in doing so. After reaching over to set it back on the coffee table, he continues on. "I'm _just saying_ babe…" He pauses to briefly give his attention to A.J. making funny faces that make his son smile. "…you're getting to be a movie Jedi Master. It's not really a bad thing." he added shrugging his shoulders.

Sarah expresses a chuckle of her own. "I know. However, I'm not as big as you sweetie. You're the resident movie buff of the family." smirked the former C.I.A. agent. "I bow down to you." she added releasing her right hand waving up and down towards her nerdy better half.

"I'm actually a mere padawan in the movie department babe. _Morgan_ …" Chuck readjusts himself in order to have his back against the black leather couch. "…now _he's_ the resident movie Jedi Master. It's _amazing_ how he's a wealth of _endless knowledge_ when it comes to movies."

Mrs. Bartowski doesn't saying anything. Instead, she nods while continuing to bounce her son on top of her legs. In that moment, she takes the opportunity to focus on her husband's bearded best friend. " _Speaking of Morgan_ …"

It's at that point Chuck arches his right brow and turns his head towards his wife. In his mind, it's usually never anything good when Morgan's name is brought up. To him. He's been stepping up with his responsibilities both professionally and personally, which is the complete opposite of what he used to be in the past during his time at Buy More. "What is it?" he asked with cautious concern in his voice.

" _Word has it_ he's going to propose to Alex." she answered raising both eyebrows.

In response, Chuck smirks. "And _where_ or better yet _who_ did you get _that_ piece of intel from _Agent Walker?_ "

"I have my _sources_."

Chuck crosses his arms after hearing that. "Uh huh." Afterwards, he takes a moment to think about his hetero life partner and tilts his head from left to right. "Well, the _word_ is…" he pauses briefly then continues on looking at Sarah. "….there is _no word_." Chuck replied shrugging his shoulders while shaking his head.

"Are you sure?" Sarah retorted furrowing her eyebrows.

" _Sure I'm sure_ babe. If Morgan _was going to tell me_ he's going to be _propose to Alex_ you'd be the _first to know_."

Upon hearing that, Sarah scooches closer to her husband with A.J. in tow. "He hasn't _said anything_ to you…" She leans forward staring directly in the eyes of her husband. "…maybe _hinted_ at something."

For Chuck. the way Sarah is staring at him causing him to lean back a bit and experience for a sense of discomfort and not to mention fear. "Listen babe. This is all I know." He stated uncrossing his arms and putting both hands up in front of him. "When we had our guys night out a few months back all that he ever mentioned was he was planning _something_. He quickly changed the subject after that. I didn't press the matter further."

"That's all?"

"Yeah. That's pretty much _all_ I know. I _swear_ babe." Chuck notices Sarah intensifying the stare towards him. It leads Chuck to continue on. "It's a _complete mystery_ that only _he_ can reveal. _When_? Who knows." he added shrugging his shoulders.

Sarah is silent as she continues to intensely stare down her incredibly uncomfortable husband. A few moments later she leans back expressing a soft smile. "I believe you."

" _Thank God_. I thought you were going to go all _Vick Mackey_ on me without the thick phonebook." Chuck expressed in absolute relief returning to his previous position. He notices a bewildered look on her face to where he explains the reference. "From the series _The Shield_. Vick Mackey played by _Michael Chiklis_ …"

He inevitably stops while he's ahead knowing she probably doesn't know the guy or seen the series. For its a series that is not suitable for younger viewers and may be too violent and sexually explicit even for a once hardened former spy. In any case, a knock is heard at the door. This leads to Chuck and Sarah to momentarily look at each other wondering who it is at this time of night. It would be the C.E.O. of Whiz Kid Systems, Inc. to push himself up into a standing position and head towards the front door. While doing so, Sarah continues to sit there with her son and at the same time keeping her ears focused at the front entrance area of her home. It wouldn't before she hears Chuck opening the door and hearing her husband say the following name in the distance: _Morgan._

It's not long till Sarah stands up and turns around to see Chuck's bearded best friend emerging into the Bartowski living room with Chuck following suit behind him. She expresses a bit of smile.

"What's up Sarah." he said with a quick nod.

"Morgan? What are you doing here…" She checks the clock reading 9:15 on the living room wall above the big screen tv. "…at this time of night?" she added with absolute curiosity.

"Yeah Morg. Anything _wrong_?" he said with concern in his voice. He then stands next to his wife.

After Morgan takes a moment to tickle the bottom of his Godson's feet, he looks up to respond to both their questions. "I'm going to propose to Alex."

It's at that point, Morgan's announcement causes Chuck and Sarah to stand there for moment looking directly at the bearded little man standing in front of them. From Morgan's point of view their lack of response is considerably awkward leading to rock back and forth a but to the seemingly uncomfortable silence. However, the silence would be subsequently broken by Chuck.

"Well _there you go_ babe. Mystery solved. _Happy_?" he responded elbowing her with his left arm. Chuck's response cause Morgan to express a bit of confusion on his part as he witnesses Sarah slap his best friend's left arm whiling holding A.J. then turns her attention back to him with a smile.

XXX

"It's about time Morgan." stated Sarah sitting in a chair at the end of the dining room table. A.J. in her lap playfully hitting the edge of the aforementioned dining room table. As for Chuck, he emerges from kitchen walking behind then past Sarah with a bottle of water in hand. He inevitably hands it over to his childhood best friend who is sitting in the chair just to Sarah's right. While standing there, he takes and step back then behind Sarah to where he places both his hands on his wife's shoulders. Afterwards, the youngest Wexler sister continues on. "So _when_ are you going to _pop the question_ to Alex? Do you have a _plan_?"

"To be perfectly honest no. I'm freaking out about it." he said with worried concern in his voice. "I just don't want to blow it. I want it to be awesome."

"Hey Morg…" Chuck responded with calming reassurance. "…buddy _relax_. Don't freak out." he added shooting a smile towards his bearded best friend. "If you need any help. Just ask."

"Really? That's awesome guys."

"Sure Morgan." nodded Sarah. "We'll carve out a time this weekend or next week and think up some potentially creative ideas to make Alex's proposal a truly memorable one for her."

After Sarah says that, Morgan takes a big breath then expresses a smile of relief on his face. It's not long before something weighs on his mind. It's a look that Chuck instantly notices.

"What's on your mind dude?"

"Yeah. Do you happen to still have the proposal plan you drew up for Sarah?"

Upon hearing the words "proposal plan" from Morgan, she turns to look up and behind her at her nerdy husband. Her right brow arching with absolute curiosity. " _What_ proposal plan?" she said expressing a faint smile on her lips.

It's at that point Chuck makes his way around in order to face his wife with their son in the former government agent's lap. "You see, like Morgan I wanted to pull off the perfect wedding proposal. At the beach."

"When?" Sarah wondered again.

"Some time _before_ your late boss _Langston Graham_ got _kidnapped_ by _Kirk Archer_. That threw a little monkey ranch in the works." he answered shrugging his shoulders.

Morgan instantly chimes in. "The plan itself _mainly involved_ a combination of things that are considered to be _important_ to both of you." he nodded first to Sarah then to Chuck.

It's at that point, Chuck takes over continuing on where Morgan stops. " _As I remember it_ , some of it was also just stuff dreamed up from when we were kids."

"Like what?" wondered Sarah looking up at her husband.

"Driving up in a 1985 DeLorean like in Back To The Future." Chuck answered. Upon saying it, he shakes his head at the absolute absurdity of it all. " _What was I thinking_?" he softly said shaking his head. His thoughts concerning the matter would be subsequently broken by the sound of Sarah's voice.

" _And me?"_

Chuck is about to answer when Morgan interjects. " _You_ were supposed to ride in on a wild stallion then we'd ride off in a red Lamborghini taking off down the coast. It was a _rough_ draft." he said titling his head back and forth towards his nerdy best friend.

" _Incredibly_ rough Morg. It was revamped so many times since puberty." chuckled the former nerd herd leader. His attention on his best friend would inevitably avert towards his loving wife who is continues to hold their exuberant baby boy. " _Fortunately_ …" he said with a soft smile. "…a proposal _did happen_ at a beach. Only…" In that moment, Chuck once again makes his way around and then behind Sarah returning both his hands on top of his wife's shoulders. "… _she_ got down on one knee and proposed _to me._ " he added leaning down to kiss the top of Sarah's head.

In response, a smile is expressed on her face thinking back on that particular night. Afterwards, she tilts her head to the left caressing her left check on Chuck's left hand. She then takes the opportunity in that brief special moment of reflection to give a kiss to his left hand. In doing so, she turns back looking up and gives her response. " _I wouldn't change a thing about that night_." she softly expressed.

"Ditto babe." he retorted gazing into his wife beautiful blue eyes.

The share moment between husband and wife concerning the proposal would be interrupted by the sound of clearing throat. The sound would originate from the man sitting in front of them expressing an awkward smile and a bit of a wave added in as well. Suddenly a thought pops in his head causing him to speak up.

"Hey, wasn't there a dinner proposal plan in the works as well?"

In that moment, Chuck takes a second to think about it the after a while acknowledges that particular plan in question. "Oh yeah."

Instantly, Sarah's eyebrows raise up leading her to speak up. "You were going to propose to me at dinner?"

Once again Morgan is about to chime in when Chuck interjects. "I got this one buddy." he nodded with his bearded hetero life partner giving a nod back. "Well, it would be at a romantic Italian restaurant and I imagined it to be very elaborate. Horse drawn carriage."

" _Caballeros_." Morgan stated.

"The word you're looking for is _Caballos_. Also, I'm not sure but _I think_ you said _gentlemen_."

The two begins to have discussion on the correct Spanish word for horse. It's a discussion that is quickly squashed by Sarah knowing how her husband and his best friend can deeply get into certain subject matter. "Boys…" she sternly stated without scaring A.J. "… _focus_."

Both men firmly nod their heads in response. This leads to Chuck continuing on. "Yeah. In a nutshell, no expense for the woman I love. Go all out for the proposal." he said with a loving grin towards his wife.

Unfortunately, the loving grin would quickly fall flat after Sarah gives her response. "Thank God _that_ didn't happen."

A look of confused bewilderment is expressed on not only Chuck's face but Morgan's as well. The two men turn to look at each other and then towards Sarah who just revealed something that has left her husband and best friend considerably dumbfounded.

XXX

"Uh _honey_ …" Chuck stammered trying to wrap his brain around of what Sarah just said. "…why… _why_ are you thankful the dinner proposal didn't happen?"

"Inquiring minds _want_ to know." Morgan chimed in with a nod leaning forward.

"I just had a _bad history_ with proposals."

Chuck eyes suddenly bug out as if they're about to pop out of its sockets. In doing so, he breathes out one name. " _Bryce_."

After hearing the faint sound of Bryce's name, Sarah quickly interjects. "No..." she said shaking head. "…no. _Not_ Bryce. It's was my _mom and dad_ actually."

A look of relief is expressed in the body language of not only Chuck, but Morgan as well. Upon witnessing the all-out relief, she continues on. For Sarah, it's been a long time since she remembers the engagement story that her mother Emily shared with her involving her father Jeremiah. It's considered a sorely sensitive and utterly embarrassing subject but at the same would end up because something of a lesson learned in how to not propose to the person you love.

"According to my mom…" Sarah takes a moment to readjust her son's seating position on her lap then continues on. After kissing A.J. on top of his head, she continues on. "…my _dad's first attempt_ at proposing didn't go as planned. It was considered a nightmare proposal."

"She said no?" inquired her husband?

"Not _exactly._ You see, my mother's family had a fancy looking restaurant in Breckinridge, Colorado. So my dad wanted to propose there." A crooked smile appears on her lips as she briefly thinks back on her mother telling her the story. "God, he wanted to go all out. The champagne, flowers, the band, and the balloons…" Sarah pauses taking a moment to shake her head. By this point, Chuck takes the opportunity to back up and then sit down on the top edge of the black leather chair as she continues on. "…it was pretty chaotic and so over the top. Anyways, in all the _confusion_ somebody knocked over a _candle_ and lit the rug on fire."

" _Wow_." breathed out Morgan.

The former Buy More green shirt shakes his head in absolute disbelief at the story being shared by his nerdy best friend's wife. As for Chuck, he's sitting there actually glad he didn't make the decision to go for a Italian restaurant proposal. He continues listening on to the story.

"The great thing was only minor burns were suffered. It's still a sore subject whenever family reunion time rolls around."

"I'm sure it is." responded Chuck with raised eyebrows.

"Sure, the first time around didn't go so well. It did nearly hamper any chance of wedding. However, the second attempt at a proposal was pretty special. Although, it would be a bad omen or sign to not go through with it, my mom would forgive my dad. My mom's family…" she stated shaking her head. "…would eventually forgive him after renovating the restaurant and so much more." she explained.

"It's awesome to know you're mom and dad are in a much happier place in their lives now." Chuck said standing up. His attention on his wife averts to his best friend Morgan. "Morg…" Upon saying his name, the man who had a massive crush on one Ellie Bartowski stands up as well. "…like I said not to worry buddy. We'll help you figure out the best proposal plan and no…" he said directly pointing at him. "…I will _not ask_ a favor from the 501st Legion to have a Star Wars proposal."

A look of utter disappointment is expressed on Morgan's face after hearing that. Yet, he quickly shakes it off knowing that Sarah and Chuck's help with a truly special, as well as memorable proposal will happen. In any case, after saying goodnight Chuck is about to escort Morgan to the front door when he turns around to speak up.

"I forgot to mention one more thing."

"What is it?" inquired Chuck with utter curiosity. Sarah standing by his side with A.J. cradled comfortably in her arms.

"I want to go _old school traditional_ before I propose to Alex."

"Okay?" responded Sarah. "What are you saying Morgan?" she wondered quirking her right brow.

"What I'm _saying_ is…" He pauses taking a moment to take a big breath then continues on. "…I want to have _Casey's blessing_ to marry his daughter first." Morgan announced causing stunned silence among Chuck and Sarah as they look at Morgan then to each other.

XXX

The following Saturday morning John Casey stands in his living room apartment facing his flat screen television. Why? The image of General Beckman is on screen as there is a discussion between the two of them that looks to be pretty serious evident by how serious both of their facial expressions are at the moment. The two are at the tail end of the conversation as Beckman continues speaking.

"Let me _reiterate_ Colonel…" stated Beckman with concern in her voice. "…your _safety_ may be in jeopardy knowing how dangerous your former teammates truly are. They escaped a maximum security prison and have gone underground." she added shaking her head.

A soft but clearly audible grunt is expressed by Casey after hearing that. "Nothing to worry about General. As for my safety..." he answered with utmost confidence. "…I'm a big boy. I'll be able to handle it if the situation does escalate. I know how they think."

Beckman is briefly silent on the screen letting Casey's words sink in. After a brief moment, she speaks up. "Should Chuck, Sarah, and Mr. Riley at least be aware of what's going on? Families as well?"

"Negative." Casey replied. "I am 100% certain they'll be safe and besides…" Casey's eyebrows intently furrow with seriousness. "…the _only_ time they would see me again would be at my _funeral_. As you can see I'm _still_ kickin." smirked the N.S.A. agent. "This is deemed simply on a _need to know_ basis. It's between _you and me_. _They_ don't need to know."

A hint of a smile appears on Beckman's face as she gives her response. "I have my _concerns_ about this but I _trust_ you John. Just to be on the _safe side_ I'll have my people continue to monitor the situation. If I hear _any chatter_ , I'll contact you."

"Affirmative."

The flat screen in Casey's apartment cuts to black leaving the proud marine standing there reflecting on the news that General Beckman informed of. In his mind, he knows what his former teammates are capable of and at the same time knows how to take each one of them down in case he has to. As much as he assured Beckman that she doesn't need to be concerned about his safety, it doesn't hurt to be on heightened alert. Much more that unusual he thinks to himself. His thoughts concerning the matter that's been brought his attention is suddenly broken by the sound of a knock on his door. It's not long before he reaches his door and opens it.

Casey stands there briefly then speaks up. "What do _you_ want?" he growled.

"Hey Casey…" Morgan nervously stammered. "…can I come in? I need to talk to you man to man." he requested.

The burly government agents is silent for a moment. His steely, cold gaze directed at Morgan then averts his attention to who is behind him. "If it's man to man, then why'd you bring Walker here? She's more man than you and Bartowski combined" he inquired.

" _Funny_ big guy." he retorted shaking his head in response to Casey's sarcastic comment. "Aren't you going to say hi to your Godson?"

Chuck lifts up A.J. a bit showing his son who smiles and chuckles a bit seeing his burly Godfather. A hint of smirk is given off but not noticeable for his former teammates and his daughter's moron boyfriend to notice. Casey's attention would subsequently be averted to his former partner as she speaks up.

" _We're here as back up. Just in case_." It's at that point, Sarah steps forward past Morgan and forcefully pushes Casey aside to get into his apartment. " _We're coming in whether you like it or not._ "

Afterwards, Chuck follows suit but not before pushing forward his best friend who clearly a mixture of nervous and afraid. As for Casey, he just rolls his eyes as he close the door to his apartment. It's not long before all 4 individuals are standing in the living room with Casey speaking up first.

"Okay…" his focus solely on Morgan. "… _talk_."

" _Well_ uh…." he stammered on nervously. He clears his throat several times then continues on. "…I'm _here_ …" Morgan takes a moment to look to either side of him. Both Sarah and Casey nod is assurance to keep going because they are here to support him and quite possibly save him from being killed or strangled to death at the hands of a cold school killer. "…to _ask_ …"

Instantly, Casey interjects. "You want _my blessing_ to marry Alex."

A surprised look is expressed on Morgan's face. After looking at Chuck and Sarah on either side of him he gives his response. "How did you _know_?"

"It's _my job_ to know moron, especially when it involves _my daughter…"_ he emphatically stated. "The answer is _no_." firmly stated the protective father.

Morgan is speechless causing him to back and sit down on the nearest available furniture he can find. Unfortunately, the one he finds is Casey's Barcalounger. He's about to say something when Chuck speaks up.

" _Come on_ big guy. Morgan makes Alex happy…" Chuck peers down at seemingly distraught best friend who looks like his whole world has crumbled around him. "…and you want your daughter to be _happy_ don't you?" he asked in hopes of swaying his mind.

" _I do_ …" he softly grunted. "…more than anything. _However_ , the thought of Grimes as my future son-in-law sends _a chill_ down my spine." he added with a cringe worthy expression on his face.

" _Give him a chance partner."_

His attention from Chuck is averted to Sarah who is locking eyes with him while standing across from her. " _Listen partner_ …" she said stepping forward. "…your daughter _is headstrong and stubborn_ just like _her father_. _Trust me_ I know." said with a ribbing smile towards him. "Don't be the cause of her unhappiness because you don't want her marrying a man who you believe isn't worthy of her." Sarah briefly pauses taking a moment to place her hand on Morgan's left shoulder then continues on. "This is the _same man_ who jumped in front of Alex _risking his own life_ to save her from getting shot by _Agent Smith_ at the warehouse _remember._ "

"I can vouch for Morgan on how he's becoming a more responsible person…" insisted Chuck. "…both _personally_ and _professionally_." he added reaching down patting his bearded best friend on his right shoulder. He continues to carefully hold on to his son with his other arm while doing so. "He's changed for the better Casey _because_ of Alex and _you know that_." he firmly stated bouncing his son up and down.

In response, Morgan looks up and gives him a halfhearted smile knowing he's looking out for him. He's thankful for that from the bottom of his heart because to him he's come too far and been through so much to be at this point at his life with the woman he loves. His thoughts concerning the matter at hand are broken by the sound of Sarah's voice.

" _What if he proves it to you?_

Upon hearing that, Morgan quickly stands straight up with renewed hope in his eyes. " _Yeah_ , I'll prove it to you. I don't know _how_ …" he quickly spitted out. "…but _I will_."

A pleading puppy dog look is expressed in Morgan's eyes directed towards Casey. Speaking of Casey, he's continues to stand there in a very menacing way as if he's contemplating what Sarah suggested to him. The silence is palpable and sheer torture for not only Morgan, but for Chuck and Sarah as well who are also waiting for his answer. They wouldn't wait for long as the father of Alex McHugh speaks up.

"You want to _prove_ it to me Grimes?" he softly growled.

" _Yes_ …" he anxiously answered nearly coming out of shoes. "…I _promise_ I won't let you down."

Casey takes a deep breath then continues on. "I'll _hold you_ to that promise then. I'll give you my blessing…" A look of sheer joy and excite is witnessed by the N.S.A Agent on Morgan's face along with Chuck and Sarah's. Unfortunately, the look of joy and excitement would so fade. "…on _one_ condition."

" _I'll do it_. No matter _what_ it is." Morgan stammered out.

"Morg…" Chuck said stepping forward to look at him. "…are you _sure_ about this? You don't have _any idea_ what Casey has planned." he added expressing concern in his voice.

" _I'm sure_ dude. I love Alex with _all my heart_ …" he said averting his attention from Chuck to Casey. He looks his future father-in-law in the eyes and as much as he's scared to death of him right now, he far more scared at the thought of not sharing a life with Alex. "…and I'd go through _hell_ for her."

" _Then we're with you Morgan_ …" Sarah chimed in. Morgan directs her attention over to his best friend's wife who offers a smile of encouragement towards him. "… _every_ step of the way." she added with a firm nod.

The support he's got from his hetero life partner and his wife mean so much to Morgan. He truly appreciates them having his back knowing how much of an intimidating figure one Colonel John Casey is, especially when it involves his daughter. His attention on Chuck and Sarah would be suddenly averted by the sound of Casey's gravelly voice.

" _Are we done with the lady feelings_?" All 3 individuals standing in front of Casey directing their attention to him. They wait as the proud marine continues on not knowing what's in store next, especially for Morgan. "If so, then _listen up_ Grimes because here's _my_ proposal."

XXX

* * *

 _ **SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? INTRIGUED SO FAR? I HOPE SO. PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	2. Running Man

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _In the previous chapter, Casey has made an offer to Morgan in the form of a proposal to counter his proposal to Alex. What is the proposal and what does it involve? Will Morgan be able to go through it not knowing what Casey has in store for him. Plus, what does Bear Grylls have to do with this story? Well, read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **Running Man**

 **XXX**

"You and I are _roughing_ it Grimes. The both of us..." grunted the burly NSA Agent. "…and the great outdoors." he added expressing a slight smirk. "Are you still in or are you out?"

A perplexed expression washes over Morgan's face upon hearing his potential future father-in-law give his counter proposal to his proposal. In his mind, he was expecting the worst possible scenario to come out of Casey's mouth regarding putting him through the ringer, so to speak. He has known Casey on a deeply personal and not to mention scary level to the point where he wouldn't put anything past him in order for him to reconsider marrying his daughter. However, he is truly in love with Alex and will do anything to have her in his life even go as so far as stand up to a man he knows has broken his own thumbs to get out handcuffs.

So, it was truly surprising to hear the likes of a grizzled military veteran wants to rough it, especially with him. True, he has considered him the most annoying individual on the known planet and to be alone with him in the woods with no witnesses around is asking for trouble he thinks to himself. Plus, he has the reputation for making people disappear and the likelihood of him possibly returning from this excursion is slim to none. Granted, it could very end up himself in his own sick and twisted fatherly way being hunted by a very methodical agent and soldier who he's pretty sure an expert tracker.

A morbid game of whether or not he can mentally, physically, and emotionally survive what Casey's going to put him through. In a way, it's like the 1987 action sci-fi classic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Running Man in which the basic premise is prisoners must run for their freedom on popular tv game show to avoid a brutal death from a gauntlet of killers set in the year 2019. As much as he would like to think of himself as Arnold's character Ben Richards, he's more like nerdy looking computer hacker Harold Weiss who unfortunately didn't survive the entire length of the movie. He was killed by Dinamo.

In a sense, he is The Running Man and not in a heroic manly way either. Of course, the old Morgan Grimes would indeed run away from a scary situation and even scarier individuals like one Colonel John Casey. Case in point, he invented the Morgan back in younger days in middle school and in high school as well to defend himself from being beaten up mostly by the girls. Granted, it's the lack of maturity that has practically led him to avoid any kind of adult responsibility so much so he's not just been running, but hiding as well. Thinking about it further, his whole life up until making the decision to leave Buy More has been a path of immaturity.

While standing there a few feet away from Casey who is seemingly glaring into his deepest, darkest nether regions of his soul, he can fully admit to himself that when it came to certain aspects of his both professionally and personally he didn't give 100% whatsoever. For instance, his former place of employment he spent so much time in goofing off and getting in so much trouble with Big Mike at, especially when hanging around Jeff and Lester. Buy More. It's boggles the mind how he was able to keep his job after the countless stunts and not to mention the schemes pulled. Truth be told, any place else it wouldn't be tolerated and yet he was able to get away with it he thinks to himself.

A slap on the wrist from Big Mike and eventually the same thing would happen all over again. In that moment, he truly feels remorseful for all that he's put his former boss through over the years at Buy More. As much as he considers himself one of the top 3 problematic employees who at the time work there, he has most definitely is no longer running away or hiding for that matter to of finally accepting the one thing he been trying to avoid for so long. The reality of becoming an adult.

True, he's a man child in every sense of the word. The only 2 things he has ever really taken seriously are his longstanding friendship with Chuck and playing Call of Duty on Xbox. Sadly, every other thing in his life would be deemed lacking in maturity. A perfect example would be his past relationship with Anna Wu and if he's truly being honest with himself he never really saw a future with her. To him, it was first ever relationship that he was actually happy albeit surprising that he has done countless stupid acts to sabotage the relationship itself. _I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did._

Now, the reality of it is he's a stable, grown up mature relationship with the woman he absolutely adores and loves with every fiber of his being. Essentially, it's a reality that certainly hit him hard in more ways than one when he quite literally bumped into Alex at the Grove. The stinging hot coffee that accidentally hit him, in a manner of speaking, woke him up in an immense way to the point where it gave him insight on a whole new path set for him even though he didn't know it at the time. In other words, he would be running towards someone after running away and inevitably hiding from himself due to a broken heart.

His thoughts concerning the movie and character he sees himself as subsequently set aside leading him to respond to what Casey said. "I'm in." he firmly nodded.

A soft but clearly audible grunt is expressed by the veteran government agent. Afterwards, he continues on. "Be ready at _1700_ then." He notices Morgan trying to mentally figure out when that is leading him to answer before the little bearded man's brain fries trying to figure it out to the point where smoke comes out of his ears. "5 p.m…." he stated. "… _this afternoon_."

It's at that point Chuck quirks his right brow and pipes up after momentarily staying quiet. "This afternoon? Kinda _sudden_ don't you think Casey?"

"If Grimes _can't_ handle it then…"

"I can handle it." Morgan quickly interjected. His attention from Casey to his tall and nerdy best friend. " _I can_." he added with a mixture of fear and determination in his voice.

In that instance, Morgan witnesses Chuck give a slight smile towards him. He then feels a hand placed on his left shoulder. " _We know you can_."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence guys."

"Any time dude." responded Chuck. He reach over with his left hand to pat him behind his right shoulder.

The moment between his former teammates and his potential son-in-law is considered to be too touchy, feely to his liking so he decides to break it up before he pukes. "Better get packing Grimes. Be back here at _exactly_ 1700\. Bring your gear. No later than that. _Got it_?"

" _Here_. 1700. 5 o'clock for us civilians." he said attempting to add some amusement. Unfortunately, Casey isn't amused to where Morgan continues on after clearing his throat. "So, _where_ are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there." Morgan is about to say something but Casey quickly cuts him off. " _Like I said_ …" he growled. "…you better get _packing_." added the burly big man glaring directly at him.

In that instance, Morgan can feel two hands on either side of his arms pull him backwards. Then physically turned around inevitably heading towards the front door. As they approach the front door Sarah speaks up.

"You did _awesome_ Morgan."

"You think?

"You didn't _die_. _That's a plus_ budd _y_." Chuck chided playfully elbowing his best friend in his left side.

"All you need to do now is pack and bring the essential camping gear." Sarah said opening the front door of Casey's apartment. All 3 momentarily stand in the open archway with Morgan inevitably responding what his best friend's wife said.

" _Yeah_ , about the _camping gear_."

"Do you need help with that?" questioned Chuck.

Morgan quickly gives a response that best fits particular moment right now concerning the situation he's presently in. " _Please, Obi Chuck Bartowski_ …" he pleads with a hint of desperation in his voice. "…you're my _only_ hope."

"I think Devon and Ellie still have the camping gear stored somewhere from the time we all went camping a couple years ago remember." Chuck recalled.

"Oh yeah…" nodded Morgan reflecting back. "…with your step brother _Tucker_ who turned out to be a _cloned bad guy_. Plus, _the bear_. _That_ was scary."

Chuck eyebrows raise then shrugs his shoulder after hearing that. "All in the past now." His attention on Morgan is suddenly averted across the courtyard past the apt complex main fountain. "Hey El!" he said stepping outside and disappearing out of sight. The sound of his voice faintly heard out in the courtyard. " _By any chance_ …"

By this time, Casey watches as Morgan follows his best friend with Sarah closing the door behind her but not before giving a wave to her former partner. Once the door is closed, the former buy more green shirt who sold countless Beastmaster grills expresses a grunt of relief then shakes his head. " _I need a drink_."

XXX

Devon emerges from the Casa Woodcomb main hallway into the living room holding a camping knapsack. "It's very _honorable_ what you're doing Morgan. Keeping tradition alive. That's awesome." he added handing it over to the bearded little man.

"I agree. I'm _very proud_ of you Morgan." smiled the eldest Bartowski sibling. A now 3 year old Clara sitting on her lap on the couch. Her sister-in-law Sarah siting next to her a few feet off to her right with A.J. on her lap as well. "You've grown up immensely and it's all because of _Alex_. She has been a very positive influence in your life."

 _Ellie is right._ To him, ever since meeting Alex she's been the primary cause of pushing himself to become a better man. He set forth goals for himself to achieve that aren't for selfish reasons whatsoever. He's doing it for the betterment of someone other than himself and it's something that he actually be proud of for once. Many times in the past he's done things in a oftentimes reckless manner that he for the most part didn't have any regrets of doing it afterwards. He'd live with the consequences, take the brunt of the punishment, and then do it all over again knowing he could somehow get away with it, especially with Anna.

Now, not this time he thinks to himself. He's actually thinking about his actions before ever acting on it and it's a gradual progression of maturity that he's not running away from either. Granted, he's tasted bits and pieces of it from time to time, so to speak. However, after some time and not to mention major responsibilities provided to him by his hetero life partner Chuck he's hopefully well on his way to becoming the well-adjusted adult he thinks he can become. A well-adjusted adult who can look himself in the mirror each and every day without seeing a guy who took every short cut imaginable just to get by.

In his mind, just getting by isn't good enough any longer. For him, he's actually enjoying the hard work he's been putting in within last 2 years at Whiz Kid Systems, Inc. He's part of a flourishing company owned by his best friend and he has been right by his side when it involved certain key business decisions. He's come a long way starting off as the guy who former past time crashing lap tops because of his addiction to virus named Irene Demova to trying to keep his best friend from getting back into the spy life because of a promise made to Ellie. A duty that he still doesn't take lightly because Chuck is now a husband and a father to his Godson A.J. Bartowski.

To be perfectly honest, he never imagined himself even in his wildest dreams on where he's ended up in life both personally and professionally. In a weird way, he truly thanks Anna for dumping him because for one it was an incredibly toxic relationship to begin with and based solely on a sexual nature. Though he never really said it out loud the relationship itself was going nowhere. He somehow knew there was going to be the quintessential dead end but he didn't know when exactly. It was only a matter of time before hit that dead end when Anna broke up with him due to frustration.

Ultimately, he doesn't want to ruin the awesome things he has going for him right now. _The job. The girl. The support of family and friends. What could any guy ask for?_ The moment he risked his life for Alex knowing Agent Smith's bullet was meant for her it would set off a chain reaction of positive events unbeknownst to him. It would be a step towards a far better future one could never possibly ever imagine for a self-professed slacker that did so little a tried getting the proverbial big payoff in the end. A smile is expressing on his lips as he responds to what Ellie said.

"Thanks. It means _so much_ coming for _you_ Ellie. Alex scares me but in a good way. Anna scared me too…" he said expressing a brief cringe on his face. "…for a very different reason. At times sexy…"

In that moment, Devon quickly reaches over from behind Ellie towards his young daughter sitting on his mother's lap. "Morgan… _dude_ …" he sternly said covering Clara's ears. "… _baby_ in the room." he added gritting his teeth and motioning his head down towards her.

Morgan responds with an apologetic look towards the youngest person in the Woodcomb living room. "Sorry Clara.

It's at that point Chuck shakes his head and then takes the moment to speak up. " _Anyways_ …" the former nerd herd leader chimed in directing his attention to his best friend. "…I wonder what Casey has planned on your _camping trip._ "he said giving off air quotes. "Knowing Casey, he probably going to make you catch your own fish with a spear or something."

"Like the show Man starring Bear Grylls." stated Morgan standing in front of the flat screen tv. "I would definitely trust him to keep me alive. That guy's a beast."

"That's an _awesome_ show. Surviving on your own with just yourself and nature's habitat all around. Climbing mountains with your bare hands." he said raising both hands in the air in a claw like fashion. A firm nod given showing his confidence in his own abilities to achieve surviving on his own. "I think I'd be able to make it to the end. _No sweat_. Right babe?" Devon added averting his attention to Ellie who is focusing on their daughter at the moment. He is briefly silent waiting for a response from his wife but doesn't get one unfortunately. The handsome heart surgeon plainly sees her focus is not only on their daughter, but on her nephew as well. Undaunted, he continues on. "I don't know about drinking your own urine through. Not so awesome." he added shaking his head.

There's a momentary awkward silence in the Woodcomb living room but that would quickly change with the youngest Bartowski sibling speaking up. "He's former British military from what I've read about him online. So, he has considerable experience that would help in situations where he potentially stranded out in the wild alone and without any food or water for that matter." Chuck stated peering up from his Iphone.

"Sounds like someone Casey would _enjoy_ hanging out and having a beer with." Sarah retorted with an amused smile. Nods of agreement are witnessed by the blonde beauty sitting on the couch next to her husband's sister. It's not long before she continues on. "You know Morgan, I wouldn't put it past Casey to put you through the ringer." Sarah responded shaking her head. "He's the kind of guy who will most definitely test you and try to break you _mentally, physically_ , and _emotionally._ " she added with some concern on her voice.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Morgan said with an absolute look of concern in his voice.

XXX

For Morgan, the notion of Casey trying to man him by taking him into the elements that can oftentimes be unforgiving, especially for someone who doesn't usually spend time outdoors. He's more of an Xbox playing, sizzling shrimp eating, grape soda drinking, and relaxing in the comfort of air condition kind of guy. In all honesty, he wouldn't last long if he found himself stranded all alone in the woods he thinks to himself. It's a deeply troubling thought to think about knowing full well the old him would truly be running away from because he's so used to the proverbial creature comforts that he's been so accustomed to.

Yet, the new him finds him facing challenges head on and this particular challenge being face is not something he's running from whatsoever. As much as he considerably fearful of what could happen that could potentially end his life he holds on to the hope of something absolutely positive coming at the end of the entire experience he thinks to himself. He also holds on to the hope of potentially forging a close relationship between he and the big guy knowing that Casey keeps him at arm's length for a very good reason. That reason is keep himself from being personally attached to someone who is considered to be expandable and at any moment Alex will finally come to her senses in realizing she has made the wrong choice in the guy she's with.

To be perfectly honest, it doesn't make any sense to the Casey and you know who else it doesn't make sense to? _This guy right here_. On occasion, he finds himself trying to figure out and make sense of it all on how their relationship even works. He's gone over time and time again to the point where his head hurts. It's a feeling that Alex's father is very familiar with ever since he step into the big guy's life. Fortunately, Alex hasn't run way from him thinking it was all a mistake. Plus, even though their relationship may not make sense to Casey it makes perfect sense to them and that is all that matters.

His thoughts abruptly end when a female voice snaps him out it. His attention is averted to the source. "What was that?"

"What I _said_ was…" Ellie reiterated. "…I'm sure you'll _prove yourself_ to Casey. Underneath that _hardened government agent exterior_ is just a _big softy_ at heart." she added expressing a smile towards Morgan.

She would know Morgan thinks to himself. For some unknown reason Ellie has always been the catalyst in showing the quintessential soft goofy center within Casey that people rarely ever get to see. In a sense, she's considered to be the kryptonite to the all-powerful Superman and is able to expose any sort of weakness that will be able to defeat the man of steel. It's an utter uncertainty as to why Casey holds such a soft spot for one Eleanor Faye Bartowski Woodcomb so much so it's deem a complete mystery.

He could make all sort of assumptions as to why and all of them could very well be wrong. What he boils it down to is simply that all through his life he's possibly come face to face with darkness. Once he met someone of pure innocence who has shown him kindness without any ulterior motives behind it because he doesn't want to have that tainted. Of course, it turns out to be Chuck Bartowski's older sister of all people. True, in his line of work you tend to run away from that sort of thing because once it becomes tainted there's nothing left to hold on to and all hope is lost he thinks to himself.

To Morgan, Ellie represents that last remaining bit of hopeful innocence for Casey that hasn't been tainted or ruined by any or all the evils of the world. While standing in front of the big screen tv in the living room still holding the camping knapsack in his hands, he recalls a conversation he had with Chuck about how Casey basically said to him after Clara was born that his priorities never really changed even though he no longer lived with Ellie and Devon. That said so much in how Casey has become the unofficial sworn protector of Ellie and her family who have given him a sense of renewed hope in humanity.

"I hope so." retorted Morgan with both eyebrows raised. "I just don't want _big softy_ to wrap both hands around my neck and _strangle me to death_ because I ended up _failing_ whatever he has planned for me."

"Besides, Alex would kill him if it were to actually happen buddy." Chuck said with a hint of amusement in his voice. He pauses briefly then continues on. "Seriously though…" The proud father and husband takes a moment to take a deep breathe. "…you've come a long way and Casey _knows_ that. He may not say it out loud but he's noticed dude."

" _Chuck's right Morgan_." Morgan's attention averts from Chuck to her. She continues on once he focuses on her. "He's been paying attention and taking note of all the things you done for Alex. You may not see it for yourself because that's the seasoned spy in him." In that instance, Sarah silently signals for her husband to take A.J. and he does. Afterwards, she stands up and steps forward locking eyes with the little bearded man. She places both hands on either side of his shoulders the continues on. "Look, I know you have a tendency to try _too hard_."

"My track record in the past speaks for itself. Yes." he chuckled.

Sarah chuckles as well in response. " _My advice_. Don't try too hard to impress him. He won't acknowledge it. It takes a lot to impress a guy who has seen everything under the sun." she said shrugging her shoulder.

"What do you want me to do then?" he wondered with absolute curiosity.

The former C.I.A Agent takes a deep breath then gives her response. "Don't guess what he's thinking. You'll fail. Go with your gut. Make your own decisions instead of what he thinks you want him to do. You get what I'm saying at all?"

"I think so."

His attention from Sarah is inevitably turned the sound of the only baby crying. He looks at the only source in the living since Clara is 3 years old. He hears the blonde beauty asks Chuck a question. _"Hungry?"_

"Nope. He was fed before we left this morning." Chuck then takes a moment to lift his son up towards his nose in order to sniff his diaper. "It's the other end."

"Diaper changing time munchkin." he said reaching for her son. Once she has him in her arms, she looks at looks at Chuck. "Grab me one from the diaper bag."

"You bet." Chuck takes a moment to find the aforementioned diaper bag within the living room but doesn't find it. After briefly searching for it, he speaks up. "It's not here."

"Where is it then?

"I know it's _not_ at Casey's. He would have come over here to drop it off. You know what…" he said snapping his finger then pointing up in the air. "… _I think_ I left it in the car. I'll go get it." he said heading for the door.

" _Hurry up_. Your son dropped _a bomb_." Sarah said waving her hand in front of her face.

"I'll be back in a jiff." he said opening and running out the front door.

" _Hold up_ dude. I'll go with you." Morgan called out. He follows his best friend out the door with the both of them disappearing out of sight as the front door closes.

XXX

Chuck and Morgan appear out into the courtyard with the diaper bag draped over the former nerd herd leader's left shoulder. As they make their way around the courtyard fountain Chuck keenly notices something is weighing on his best friend's mind.

"What's up buddy? You hardly said a word since I got the diaper bag. Is something wrong?"

Morgan stops and faces Chuck. He takes a quick breath then gives his response. "If I don't make it back _alive_ …" He shakes his head the continues on. "… _makes sure_ to give my pants to Alex."

A confused and perplexed expression is given off on Chuck's face. He quirks his right brow then speaks up. "Casey's _not_ going to kill you Morg. _Besides_ , what would Alex do with your pants anyway?" he wondered.

Instantly, Morgan shakes his head in that moment realizing that he's talking about his other pants. " _No_ , not those pants. My _P.A.N.T.S_. You know…" he said staring up at his best friend. "… _Personal Artifacts Never To Share_. _Those_ pants."

It suddenly dawns on Chuck on what Morgan is talking about. "Oh yeah." He expresses a bit of laughter then continues. "I'm sure _it won't_ come to that dude. At least _I hope not_."

"I just want Alex to have something to remember me by _in case_ it does." he said step forward and heading towards Casa Woodcomb.

" _Listen_ …" Chuck said walking side by said with Morgan. "…if you're _that worried._ Here." The C.E.O. of Whiz Kid Systems, Inc. removes his watch from his left wrist and hands it over to him. "Put it on."

"Uh _dude_ …" he said hairy left arm but mainly his wrist. "…I _have_ a watch." Morgan added pointing to it. "See."

" _Actually_ , this watch has a built in _distress beacon_. It was given to me by Sarah and Casey when I first started out as a spy. I tended to get taken hostage _a lot_. _In hindsight,_ I _should_ have stayed in the car."

In that moment Morgan's eyes bug out to the point where Chuck may have needed to push them back in they were to pop out. In any case, after hearing that bit of information, he speaks up. " _Awesome_ man. Spy tech. It's like James Bond passing off the torch to his predecessor."

"Yeah…" nodded Chuck. "… _sort of_." he added shrugging his shoulders.

The bearded best friend of Chuck Bartowski quickly removes the watch he's currently wearing and chucks it off to the side much to the amazement of the former nerd herd leader. After strapping it on, he shows it to Chuck. "So how does it work?"

Chuck shows and point on where to press on the watch. "Just push _that button_ and an _alert_ will go off."

"Cool. _Thanks man_. I owe you."

"No worries Morg. That's what friends are for."

The moment between the two best friend would quickly be broken up by sound of a female voice. " _Hey baby brother_."

"Yeah. What's up El?"

"I would to _love_ to hear you sing that Dionne Warwick song..." she said momentarily looking behind her. "…but Sarah said you _better_ get in here with your son's diaper _or else_."

"That doesn't sound good. _Hurry up_ and _run in there_ buddy before Ellie and Devon's apartment becomes a _zoned off_ _quarantine area_." he jokingly remarked.

"No kidding buddy." he replied jogging over to the front door. The diaper bag swinging back and forth but securely held over his left shoulder. " _I'm coming. I'm coming_." he quickly said with Morgan following suit behind. As he enters through the front door, Chuck voice is heard. " _I'm here babe."_

XXX

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 _ **NOTE: SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT. AS ALWAYS REVIEWS ARE AWESOME!**_


	3. Locked and Loaded

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Chuck reassures Morgan everything will be hopefully be fine on the camping trip with Casey. To further help him, he gives Morgan his spy watch that has gives alerts danger if it's pressed. For this chapter, it will go into what Morgan and Alex are thinking as the preparations for the impromptu camping are being made. Plus, a conversation between Chuck and Travis that involves a surprise announcement involving the Bartowski's extended family. So, what is Morgan is thinking and how are Tom Hanks, Ice T, Tommy Lee Jones, and Benecio Del Toro involved? Well, read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **Locked and Loaded**

 **XXX**

It was truly an eventful morning so far for Morgan while sitting behind the wheel of his car. The nervousness, fear, anxiety and immense perspiration he felt before and during his time in Casey's apartment eventually subsided leaving him relatively calm for the most part. He literally hear his own heart pounding loudly and feel his pulse racing from the incredibly intense situation he knowingly put himself in. As for the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead while in front of his of former co-worker, they were long gone as he is able to get some sense of relief but not much he thinks to himself.

His clear train of thought would subsequently return moments after leaving Casey's apartment knowing full all train of rational thought went out the window as soon as his door opened. In those moments while standing there in the open doorway he could feel his knees start to buckle to the point of collapsing right there at the feet of his future father-in-law. Thankfully, he didn't and used every bit of physical and not to mention mental strength to keep himself standing upright. In his mind, it was by sheer strength of pure will, determination, and fear that kept him from falling.

In other words, mind over matter he thinks to himself. His mind for the most part saved him and if it hadn't his brain matter along with body matter would most definitely be spread all over the proud marine's front door, as well as the courtyard. To him, it was basically a flight or fight response that instantly kicked in stemming from being beaten up in his younger days in school, especially when it involves one Colonel John Casey. Granted, it didn't involve using his go to move "The Morgan" but he came close to it.

True, he didn't end up using it or get strangled by Casey thanks to the support provided by his hetero life partner Chuck Bartowski and his beautiful partner in crime in marriage Sarah. As much as he's been the proverbial 3rd wheel from the very beginning of their supposedly real albeit quasi fake relationship he knew he was and still is in love with her. He could see it in his eyes and the way that he looked at her even though he denied it several times to him. There is no mistaking the love there.

In any case, the walk up for him to the NSA Agent's door was considerably similar to the scene in the movie The Green Mile where Michael Clarke Duncan's character John Coffrey is walking towards his last moments of life with a security guard named Old Paul Edgecomb played by Tom Hanks by his side. Fortunately for him, he was able to live to tell the tale unlike Duncan's character who ended up being executed by way of electrocution in the movie.

Of course, the walk from the apartment complex parking lot to Casey's front door seemed like the longest death row walk measured in distance he has traveled. To him, all sorts of possible scenarios were running through his head from the moment he got out of the car and it all involved death at the hands of a cold school killer. A cold school killer who if fear itself looked the former Buy More employee in the face he would flinch, turn around, and run away scared.

Thankfully, he was fortunate to have 2 Old Paul Edgecombs one of which is his former partner and has an unmistakable, as well as unique way of handing the proud marine. His 2 saving graces and albeit guardian angels who have been there to save his ass more times than he can count. In any case, instead of an electric chair waiting for him it would be a burly and not to mention very scary man with the ability to make people disappear.

Morgan's thought inevitably turn from Casey towards what hopes is his soon to be fiancé Alex. A woman who he met quite literally by accident at the Grove as she accidently spilled coffee on him much to his chagrin. In hindsight, it would certainly turn his gloominess upside down but not right away because he did get dumped Anna. Thinking back on it, the old Morgan would have shameless hit on her and would have prepared to get rejected with a slap on the face as an added bonus he thinks to himself.

However, on that particular day it was totally different. He felt totally different and circumstances leading up to Alex making it up to him for soaking him with her coffee went the complete opposite of how it would usually go. _Tazo Chai Tea Latte. It's still her favorite._ A smile slowly appears on his lips as he remembers what coffee beverage she accidentally spilled on him. It's one of the many small details he recalls during that unfortunate encounter between the two of them.

In his mind, Alex and Anna are far different from each other. When it came to Anna he can honestly say to himself it was just fun with her and never even took the relationship that seriously. Just an immature guy having his cake and eating it too as it's been said in the past. Now, when it comes to Alex it's not about having fun and not taking things seriously with her he thinks to himself. The future is what it's all about and he genuinely wants to make a life filled with love, happiness, and children who hopefully have the same craving for grape soda as dear old dad.

It's that particular thought in mind that he knows he has to tell Alex he's going camping with her father without divulging what the main reason is. Granted, he will have to stretch the truth a bit knowing full well his ability to lie to her has faltered on a few occasions. Thinking about it further, just sticking to the surface story of what's going on will be enough and if she delves any deeper then he'll just say to call her father for more details since he can give her whatever he needs her to hear.

In that moment, he readjusts himself in the driver's seat of his car while gripping the steering a bit tighter with his right hand. A few seconds later, he takes in a deep breath knowing in just a few miles he'll be arriving at their apartment they share where he left Alex slumbering earlier that morning. He briefly looking at his watch, he thinks she may already be up and cooked breakfast. After the morning he had, he could eat a buffet breakfast he thinks to himself.

XXX

So, _you_ and _my dad_ are going _camping_." Alex said furrowing her eyebrows towards Morgan. " _You two. Together_ _?_ " she added taking the moment to sip her coffee.

Alex sits across the kitchen table with a big breakfast placed in the middle made especially for the both of them. Eggs, ham, pancakes, and sausage links all cooked ready to be eaten. Of course, half of the it has already been devoured by one hungry bearded individual who found his appetite after meeting with her father. After stuffing another sausage link in his mouth and chewing on it for a few seconds he reaches over to wash it down with a glass of fresh cold orange juice. Afterwards, he nods then responds to her.

"Yup. It was a _complete surprise_ to me babe. He called me early this morning and wanted me to come over to his apartment. _Next thing I know_ , he said I'm coming with him to rough it in the wilderness and he _wasn't_ taking no for an answer. He'll be here later today to pick me up." he quickly stated. In that instance, he reaches over the table and stabs some ham along with 2 pancakes to place on his half-filled plate of breakfast food. "He wants to make a man out of me. _His words_ not mine." Morgan added quickly shrugging his shoulders.

"And you actually _agreed_ to this?" inquired Alex quirking her right brow. Morgan nods acknowledging her question. The cup of coffee behind held just under her bottom lip with both hands as remnants of steam rises from within it. "It sounds weirdly odd to me." she added shaking her head. For Morgan, the way she's looking at him is causing the former Buy More green shirt to freak out a bit. As she continues lays her coffee cup down on the table in front of her, she lays both arms on the table and leans forward staring directly at him. After a few moments of silence that seems like an eternity for the bearded little man, Alex speaks up. " _Yet_ , the relationship between the two has been always _weirdly odd_. Prone to _constant threats to bodily harm and death_ but weirdly odd _nonetheless_." she added with a hint of amusement in her voice.

It's at this point, Morgan points at her using the fork he's hold in his right and nearly hits her with a piece of scrambled egg. There is brief pause on his part as he receives a somewhat glaring look towards his lady love sitting across from him. Her hair auburn colored hair pulled up into a bun exposing her curvature of her neck. A beautiful neck at that as it leads to her toned shoulders slightly exposed from underneath her lace robe that's covering his once vintage Back To the Future shirt and black shorts. He shakes his head before he goes any further down knowing how much of an absolute distraction her all natural beauty does to him.

It's at that point Morgan gives a muffled response with his mouth full of food. This leads Alex to express a combination of perplexed confusion on her face. "What did you say?"

Morgan once again reaches over to take another swig of orange juice to avoid choking. It doesn't take long for him to take gulp it all down then express a relieved exhale as he continues on speaking. " _I said_ …" he takes another sip but a longer one this time. Afterwards, he places the glass of nearly finished orange juice down by his plate. "…that's how your dad and I roll."

"If you say so." she answered leaning back against her chair. She lifts her right leg placing on top of seat she's sitting on exposing it through the slit of her robe.

 _Is she trying to get the truth out of me? What a dastardly vixen she is!_ In that moment, he shakes those thoughts he's having quickly away to focus on the matter at hand. He regains his thought process and continues on. " _Hey_ , it's not like he's taking me out in the wilderness and _hunting me down_ like in the movie Surviving The Game." he smiled with a sense of fear behind it. _At least I hope not_.

"Isn't that the movie with the guy from The Fugitive chasing after the guy from the movie where he's standing with 4 others in a police line up?" questioned the daughter of John Casey.

It took a moment for Morgan to figure out what movies Alex is referencing then it dawns on him. "Oh, _Tommy Lee Jones_ _and Benecio Del Toro from The Usual Suspects_. And no. That move is called _The Hunted_." He pauses for a brief moment then continues on. " _What I'm talking about is_ the one where rapper _Ice T_ plays a homeless character and gets a job as hunting guide for a group of wealthy clients." he explained.

"I take it Ice T's character signed up for the _wrong_ _job_."

Morgan nods in response. He sets his fork down on his plate and goes on further. "Yup. He's taken _to a cabin_ and unfortunately learns _his job_ is to actually be _their prey_ and he'll be hunted." he further explained. Afterwards, he commences back to scarfing down more breakfast.

Alex's eyebrow raise after hearing that. As astonished as she about hearing the premise of that particular movie she has never seen and possibly never will, she can't imagine her father doing such a thing to her bearded beau. On other hand, she wouldn't put it past him knowing how much he doesn't think too highly of him despite all his incredible attributes she thinks to herself. Her thoughts concerning the weirdly odd relationship between her father and her longtime boyfriend are suddenly set aside when she notices him hitting his chest.

" _Morgan_ …" she state with concern. "…you okay?" Alex added leaning forward. In that instance, she sees Morgan pointing to his mouth as he grabs the sides of the table and hears gurgling sounds that cause her rushes into action. She quickly gets up from her chair knowing he's choking and stands behind him to utilize the Heimlich maneuver. Upon 3 unsuccessful attempts, the 4 attempt does the trick dislodging the combination of breakfast food from his throat. In doing so, she steps to the side all-the-while patting and messaging his back interdentally. "Better?"

It takes a while for Morgan to respond as he gives off several coughs then reaches over to down the last remaining glass of orange juice left. Afterwards, he lowers his head and places the cup down knowing his life momentary flashed before his eyes but thwarted death thanks to the efforts of his lady love one Alex McHugh. It's not long before he hears a beverage being poured and when he looks up it's a full glass of orange juice poured by his partner in crime. Two words can only sum up his response to her. " _You're awesome_." he breathed out totally exasperated from his ordeal. A smile faintly appearing showing his appreciation for saving his life.

"I know." she said leaning over to kiss him softly on the cheek, As she returns to her seat she can't help but be concerned at the fact that the man she loves is once again stuffing his face again. Yet, she can't help but smile knowing she found the man of her dream even though nearly died from eating way too fast _. It's who he is and he's my Morgan._

XXX

Its around 2:30 p.m. and cool, somewhat crowded afternoon as Chuck Bartowski and Travis Riley are jogging side by side on their usual 5 mile run from The Santa Monica Pier Stairs to The Pier, down to the beach path and then turning around heading back to The Santa Monica Stairs. A daily ritual for the two men that was postponed from earlier in the day in order to help Morgan with his mission of sorts.

The two former teammates are keeping a nice even and comfortable pace with each other. Neither one having the mindset that it's a competition in order to see who can get to the location first. Chuck is wearing a white shirt with 2 black long sleeves. Both rolled up just above his forearm. The words "Scruffy Nerf Herder" written on the front with a picture of Han Solo in the front. In addition, has on Adidas black track pants with white stripes running down the side, always sporting his favorite pair of chucks on his feet.

As for Travis, he's got on a shirt with a picture of a black knight missing his left arm with the words "Tis' but a scatch" at the bottom. It's clearly referencing Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which is considered a favorite movie of the former Team Chuck members. Additionally, he has on Grey Nike track pants and running shoes to match. Their attire doesn't generally stand out giving both men the opportunity to get lost amongst the crowd for a while.

The two men are in the middle of a conversation concerning Morgan's mission to get Casey's blessing in order to propose to Alex. Upon initially hearing the news from his wife Shannon, Travis was truly impressed that he would go all traditional in proposals even though he didn't really have to. In his mind, it shows he is a pretty standup guy and has moments of moronic brilliance.

"You got to hand it to Morgan…" Travis stated briefly glancing at Chuck to his right. "…he either has a _death wish_ or wants to _prove_ how much he loves Alex." he added shaking his head.

Chuck expresses a bit of chuckle after hearing that. After briefly glancing back to his former teammate to his left, he gives his response. "I'm thinking _both_ Trav." He briefly pauses as he continues to regulate his breath while jogging. He then goes on. "I honestly think _he's more scared_ of failing in _Alex eyes instead of Casey's_ than anything else."

Travis nods upon hearing that. "Understandable. It's gonna be a _huge_ challenge to get Casey's blessing knowing he'll _mentally_ and no doubt _physically_ break him. I'm betting he'll have him make the decision on his own instead of forcing it upon him in his own scary and twisted way."

"I wouldn't put it past him. I'm just hoping Morg doesn't end up getting himself killed in order to prove his worth to the big guy." Chuck responded.

The thought of Chuck's bearded best friend putting his own life on the line for love is a truly noble sentiment Travis thinks to himself. Yet, he can't up but think his head may end up in a box like Gwenyth Paltrow's character in the movie Seven. He can also imagine Alex screaming like Brad Pitt about what's in the box, which is a scenario that could possibly happen. His thoughts concerning the 1995 psychological thriller would return to the NSA agent in question.

"Casey must be _loving_ this."

"Ya think!?" he answered with amused laughter. "I don't know what he has planned but if I know Casey…" Chuck pauses to glance at Travis once again. "… _and I do_. He'll savor _every moment_ of what he'll put Morgan through _whatever_ it will be. Alex is _his_ baby girl. I _don't fault him_ for wanting to put him to the test." he stated shrugging both shoulders.

"True dat." Travis replied. He's briefly silent then changes the subject a bit." Speaking of baby girl, how is Cass doing?"

" _3 months pregnant_ …" answered Chuck. "…and no. She and Bryce want to be _surprised_ on if it's a _boy or a girl_."

"Awesome. Kudos to them. I bet they're e _cstatic_ , especially _Hunter_ who is going to be a big brother."

Chuck smiles upon hearing that. "You ain't kidding. He actually called to _tell me_ and you could hear _the excitement_ in his voice."

"What about Bryce? Has the realization set in that he's going to have a _mini-me_ in 6 more months?"

"I think so. I'm sure he's _freaking out_ …" He once again pauses to quickly maneuver around a couple people then continues on. "… _but_ he'll be an _awesom_ e dad. He's done a great job with Hunter _so far_."

"He'll get the hang of it like you did." Travis said reaching over to right to quickly pat him on hs right shoulder. "It's just a matter of running at your own pace as a parent." he further explained. Once again there is a brief lull in the conversation between the two of them leading Travis to make a suggestion. "Hey, how about the first one up to the top of the Santa Monica Stairs buys coffee?"

"Deal."

"Since we're close, how about we race there now?" Travis

"I'm game." grinned Chuck. "Say when."

Instantly, Travis sprints forward while at the same time responds to his former teammate. _"When!"_

It's not long before Chuck chases after Travis trying to make up for lost time. The two seemingly competitive men sprinting towards the top of the Santa Monica Stairs while carefully maneuvering their through the somewhat crowded sidewalk making sure to not run into anybody in the process.

XXX

It's 4:55 p.m. and Alex is in the living room couch of the apartment she shares with Morgan watching a particular movie on Netflix. She's changed from her sleepwear into something more dress casual in case she has to run out to do some errands or possibly hang with her friends. While she's watching a streamed movie, Morgan is in the finished stages of packing in their bedroom. It's not long before Alex holler's out to him.

"You almost ready babe!? You said my dad would be here at _5_ _right?_ "

" _Yup!"_

In that moment, Alex hears a knock on the door leading her to pause the movie she's watching on Netflix. She rocks herself forward then pushes herself off the couch into a standing position. It wouldn't be long before she reaches the front door and opens with her father standing outside.

"Hey dad." smiled Alex towards her hulking father.

"Alex."

For Casey, it was incredibly awkward in the beginning when it came to physical contact in the form of hugging. Fortunately, as time marched on the awkwardness would subsequently fade and the two of them would eventually ease into being able to hug each other without it seeming as if he was going to somehow break her in half. He didn't and it would be Alex to take the initiative to hug her father tightly in order to show she's not delicate as she looks. Far from it. She's one tough cookie to be exact. Like father like daughter.

"You're 5 minutes early. You're usually exactly on time." she said closing the door behind her.

" _Special_ circumstances."

Alex quirks her right brow. "Uh huh."

Casey's attention is focus further into the apartment. "Is Morgan locked and loaded?"

"If you're asking if he's ready to go camping with you…" She crosses her arms then moves past her father then turns around standing in front of the tv facing him. "… _he is_." Alex stands there momentarily trying to get a good read on her father. She furrows her eyebrows up towards him as she receives the same exact look back. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing." he grunted back.

"Dad." she firmly stated.

The NSA agent expresses a soft growl in response. He then crosses his arms matching what his daughter is doing. "I'm just watching out for you Alex." he gruffly explained. Afterwards, he turns around heading towards the main apartment window covered with blinds. He stands in front of it and reaches with his right finger up to pushes part of it down to carefully scanning outside through the open slit. "You're boyfriend just needs toughing up…" Casey lets go part of the blinds he's holding down with his right finger and turns around to face his daughter. "…and I'm the guy to do it. When he comes back he'll be a man or something _close to it_."

The daughter of Alex Coburn continues to stand there eyeing her father. After a brief moment later, she looks over her left shoulder in order to holler at her bearded beau in the bedroom. " _Morgan! My dad's here!_ _Are you ready!?_

It's not long before Morgan appears and makes his way into the living room readily prepared for going camping. The knapsack provided to him by Ellie and Devon draped over his right shoulder and wearing hiking boots for the possible tricky terrain they may be encountering during their time there. "I'm set. Hey big guy."

"Grimes. It's not too late to back out." he gruffly stated with a hint of a smirk.

In that instance, Morgan turns his head to briefly look at Alex then returns his attention back to Casey. "I'm doing this. I'm all in."

In that instance, Alex thinks something is going on but has no idea what. Instead of pushing the matter further, she turns her attention to the man she loves standing to his right. "I don't know what you two are _really up to_ but _be careful_ out there." she insisted leaning in to gently kiss him on the lips.

Morgan expresses a smile back towards her. " _Don't worry_ babe. Your dad and I are going to do _some good ole' fashion male bonding_. Getting our hands _dirty_. Build a fire. _Like men_. Isn't that right Casey?"

Casey rolls his eyes upon hearing that. He then heads towards the door then opens it and without looking back speaks up. "Let's go moron."

As he watches Casey disappear out the door, he and Alex exchange a quick kiss before he heads out with Casey to the great outdoors. Once done, Alex heads towards the kitchen and retrieves a rolling cooler. "I prepared some sandwiches and snacks for your camping trip."

"You're awesome babe." he softly responded. " _I'm sure_ we're going to do manly things out there like _catching fish_ with spears cut from the branches of trees or _hunting rabbits_ and cook them over a fire. Living off the wilderness."

"Okay, Grizzly Adams." Alex chuckled. Afterwards, she steps forward and gives a warm embrace to her bearded beau. While doing so, she whispers in his ear. " _Promise me something_."

" _What is it?"_ he whispered back _._

"Stay safe…" She then steps back and looks Morgan directly in the eyes. "…and you _don't_ have to prove _how tough_ you are to my father. Okay? All that matters is _I love you_."

Morgan gives a soft smile in return. "I know."

The heartwarming moment between the two of them would subsequently be broken up by the sound of annoyance coming outside. " _Grimes! Get your ass out here now!"_

"Coming!"

Instantly, Morgan jumps into action heading towards the front door but quickly stops after hearing Alex's voice behind him. " _Morgan!_ "

"Yeah? What's up!?"

"The cooler." she answered looking down at her feet.

The former Buy More green shirt nods the points. "Right. The Cooler."

He quickly retrieves it then makes his way out the door to impatient Casey probably waiting in his car ready to go. As he heads down the stairs with the cooler behind him hitting each step with his knapsack flailing about over his right shoulder, Alex watches from the open doorway. She waves at Morgan then at her father standing beside the driver's side door of his Crown Vic with annoyed expression on his face as he glares at her boyfriend. For her, she doesn't have any idea what will unfold for the both of them not knowing Casey has an ulterior motive behind taking Morgan with him.

XXX

* * *

 ** _NOTE: SORRY FOR THE DELAY! I'LL TRY TO GET MORE CHAPTERS OUT SOONER! SO DID YOU ENJOY MY LASTEST CHAPTER? IF SO, PLEASE REVEIW!_**


	4. A Dangerous Road Trip

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Morgan reassures Alex that everything will be fine on the camping trip with Casey. Granted, he lied to her on the reason they're roughing it in the woods. As much as she's suspicious of her father's ulterior motives in bringing her boyfriend out to the woods alone she trust that her father will bring back the man she loves. To further help him, he gives Morgan his spy watch that has gives alerts danger if it's pressed. For this chapter, it will go into what Morgan and Casey's road that could very well test the NSA Agent's patience. Plus, a conversation between Chuck and Sarah about Cassidy and Bryce that the pangs of pregnancy. So, what happens on the road trip and is and how is Barf from the movie Spaceballs involved? Well, read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **A Dangerous Road Trip**

 **XXX**

Casey's plan so far has gone off without any hitches. He was able to convince or should I say threaten Morgan into roughing it with him in order to turn him into a man whether he liked it or not. True, there is another ulterior motive for bringing out to the middle or nowhere in order to accomplish his mission. A mission that will bring out his old team that he hasn't seen in years and also the team he put away after they came close to stealing a safe full of gold in the Zargos Moutains of Iran so they could retire young.

He still remembers like it was yesterday. The looks on each of their faces expressing the overwhelming sense of getting away with striking it rich without anyone knowing about their intentions. The seemingly calmed excitement and not to mention eagerness of all three men to empty the vault as fast as they can and then quickly disappearing in the Iranian desert without any trace of them being there whatsoever. To them it seemed like ab absolute perfect plan but what they didn't plan on is him not being part of it at all.

Packard, T.I., and MacKinstosh were…still are…considered to be fine soldiers. Unfortunately, they just made a selfish bad decision to better their life and do it by breaking the law from his own viewpoint. However, from their viewpoint they see it as taking advantage of a perfect situation and padding their pockets in the process, which didn't sit well with him in that particular moment. His respect for the 3 of them completely fell apart the moment he heard them making a plan to steal the gold in the vault and he instantly took action in his own Casey-esque way.

As he vividly recalls, his plan was for Mackintosh to put up a handprint scan panel while he set up an explosive charge to destroy the vault. A vault hold the aforementioned gold that he was informed was used to secretly fund terrorist and they were under strict orders from President Clinton to seal off at least one of the ways they've been funding their efforts. He also recalls he didn't much care for the 42 President of the United States or his mouthy wife as he politely put it back then.

His intentions were clear to his team. However, his now former team had other intentions to the point where Packard tried to persuade him to look the other way just once wouldn't be such a bad thing even for the tactical leader who follows orders no matter what. _Hidden in a vault. Hidden in our bags. What's the difference Casey?_ Those were the 12 words that still stick with him to this day concerning potential payoff that would overtake the three men on that day. It would be a day where he would find himself taking down 3 good men whose greed gets the best of them.

 _The difference is that wasn't our mission._ That was the response he gave Packard and after asking him if he was going to have any problem with it the situation suddenly intense to say the least. A Mexican standoff ensued with 3 against 1 and under normal circumstances a soldier would have the mindset they would be outnumber, as well as outgunned. Fortunately, Casey isn't like any solider as he is the type of guy who insanely thrives on enjoying the challenge of beating the odds even it against those who were fighting by his side.

It wouldn't take long for him to formulate a last second plan knowing full well he was outgunned. Instead of using bullets he would his knife and throw at the circuit breaker off his left taking out the lights in the process giving instant cover within the darkness. One by one he was able to take them down and afterwards he went straight for the handprint scan panel placing his palm on it to close the vault. Once he does, he turns towards his fallen former comrades and arrests them informing they'll be thinking about their futures in Levenworth.

They would undoubtedly be court martialed for their actions and he would later find out from General Beckman they escaped from a maximum security stockade. They have on occasion took shots at him but to no avail in killing him but would eventually split up. Yet, the only way they would ever come together is for his funeral but mindset can certainly change over time. He just hopes they take the bait.

His thoughts concerning his former team members and his unorthodox plan are averted back to the man truly loyal to his daughter. In his mind that was the easy part in being able to make a deal with the bearded moron who would most definitely do anything and everything for Alex. Of course, that's the Achilles heel when it came to Chuck's best friend as he found himself in the past way in over his head in certain situation, especially in the one he's in now.

Granted, the love he has for his daughter is something that he can absolutely guarantee will never be broken like Chuck with Sarah only far less annoying he thinks to himself. As much as he thinks Alex can do far better than Morgan, he would never betray like the former nerd herd leader with the Langston's former wild card enforcer. In any case, his plan is to flush out his former teammates in order to take them down once again and to do that he has to use Morgan as a way the to do it. He has to be careful though because he doesn't want to wind up becoming the primary cause of the moron getting severely injured or worse…dead.

Speaking of the moron, he briefly turns his head towards the passenger seat of his crown vic aptly named Vera where he is presently sitting. The instinct to kick him out of his car is subdued and even though it would make him feel better he holds off on that feeling to inflict bodily harm. Plus, he doesn't want to explain to Alex why he's in the hospital after they just left to go roughing into the woods. His thoughts concerning Morgan, are subsequently broken by the sound of his voice.

" _So big guy_ …." stated Morgan taking out individual pack of string cheese. "… _what's the ETA on the camp site?_ " he asked with curiosity. While asking that question, he unwraps the string cheese and takes a bite of it

Casey doesn't say a word. Instead, he continues looking forward expresses a grunt of annoyance knowing one thing. It's going to a dangerous road trip more so for Morgan than himself.

XXX

It's around 5:25 on Saturday evening at Casa Bartowski as Chuck is sitting in the living room comfortably lounging on the black leather couch watching a movie on his flat screen television. The movie is Spaceballs. A classic and not mention a parody of his favorite childhood franchise Star Wars. As always, his trusty sidekick and canine companion Peaches lying beside him slumbering away with her head on his lap.

While continuing to watch what is considered to a hilarious cinematic masterpiece, he briefly averts his attention to the loveable golden lab and can't help but wonder what it would be like to have a Fawg. A female version of Barf played brilliantly by the late John Candy who was Lone Starr's companion played by Bill Pullman. In any case, it would most definitely be awesome to have a Barf of his own and yet would certainly still keep the names Peaches.

Of course, his curiosity and imagination gets the best of him to the point where he tries to creatively formulate a image in his head of what Peaches would look like as Fawg. True, as a female she wouldn't be caught dead in garage coveralls but at the same time could very well see her sporting Chuck Taylors like her dear old dad. It's that particular thought that leads the former nerd herd leader to raise both eyebrows and nod.

His attention on Peaches is a bit more focused this time as he continues his imaginative profile of what Peaches would look like as a Fawg. Instead, of the garage coveralls, she would be wearing possibly denim jean overalls with of the straps unbuttoned and there would be faded rips at the legs for overall style. When it comes to the shirt she's wearing underneath her denim jeans overalls it would be a long sleeve black shirt pulled at the elbow. Of course, her golden mane on top of her head would be slicked back and tied up in a ponytail.

When it comes to her snack of choice it would a box of sizzling shrimp that she carries around instead of box of doggie biscuits unless she's the type of Fawg who eats healthy snakes. If so, she would be most definitely snacking on sizzling shrimp with vegetables mixed in. Unfortunately, Sarah wouldn't like idea of a Peaches living in their house as a half human and half dog hybrid. She'd be more creeped out than anything else instead of thinking how cool of an idea it would be.

His thoughts concerning what Peaches would be like as a real life Spaceballs character would subsequently be broken by a familiar female voice.

" _I know Cass…"_

Chuck's attention is averted toward the opening of the hallways leading to the master bedroom. His wife holding her I phone up to her ear with her right hand while holding a baby monitor to hear if their son A.J. is restless after just putting him down for a nap just 30 minutes ago. He watches intently as Sarah goes through a myriad of facial expression and eye rolls every so often while listening to her older sister on the other end of the line. For him, it's absolutely comical knowing how aggressive Cassidy Wexler has become since she is now 3 months pregnant and Bryce is taking much of the verbal, as well as physical brunt of that aforementioned aggression.

" _You're right_ sis…" nodded Sarah in agreement. "…Bryce _is_ an _idiot_. I should know. I was _partners_ with him. _I'm sure_ he'll figure out what kind of food you're _craving_. Just be _patient_ with him. Remember, he's a _first time dad_ you know."

Upon hearing the word _dad_ and _Bryce_ spoken in same sentence would be considerably mind blowing years ago. Hell, him falling in love and getting married to where he's already an adoptive father to Hunter is beyond unbelievable. Why? Bryce Larkin at one point was a career deep cover spy who trusted only person in life and that was his best friend Chuck Bartowski. He spent his whole life looking out for himself and that was mainly to keep himself alive.

Now times have tremendously changed and for the better he thinks to himself. True, it so overwhelming for him in the beginning but as time progressed he was able to gradually adapt to a relatively normal life with the proverbial white picket fence. He's got an awesome wife and an equally awesome kid in Hunter along with a kid of their own coming in 6 more months.

"No…no…" she responded shaking her head. "…I don't think it's a good idea to have him re-activated as a spy." she pauses for a brief moment. "Why? Because…" It's at the point Sarah faces her husband in order to look for some kind of help when it comes to her conversation with Cassiday. Unfortunately, she doesn't get any help from him as he puts up the both hands in front of him signaling he has nothing for her. In response, Sarah gives a glaring expression towards her nerdy husband and continues on with her conversation as best she can. "….because you… _you_ were the one that _wanted him_ to leave _the spy life_. Plus, _daddy_ had _to pull some strings_ with Beckman to have him be out."

Chuck continues to sit there with half his attention on Sarah and other half continuing to watch his favorite scene from Spaceballs. It's the scene where Dark Helmet and Colonel Sanders use the VHS movie to locate the whereabouts of Princess Vespa who is with Princess Vespa. It sets up one of the most hilariously memorable and one of the many quotable lines in the movie in which Rick Moranis' character asks when will then be now. The answer is of course _soon_ he thinks to himself. It's that particular that causes him to express a faint smile and bit of a chuckle as well.

"Listen sis, _trust me_ when I say Bryce _will_ get it. If he _doesn't_ …" Sarah arches her right brow as she slight smirk is faintly expressed on her lips. "…I'll _fly over there_ and knock some sense into him. _Ok_?"

The conversation between Sarah and her older sister Cassidy is done leading the former C.I.A. agent to drop both arms down to her side. Afterwards, she looks up to towards the ceiling, deeply inhales, then gives off an expressive exhale of relief to be done talking with an overemotional pregnant woman. In that instance, Sarah hears the sound of her husband's voice.

" _Cass will be fine_."

In response, Sarah shakes her head and then her entire body to get herself going after successfully stepping down the DEFCON type situation directed towards Bryce. Afterwards, she crosses both arms with phone and baby monitor still clutched in both hands. "It's not _her_ I'm worried about." she answered. The youngest Wexler sister steps forward placing the phone down on the coffee table.

"He's been in tougher scrapes than this. He was after all tortured by Fulcrum thinking he had the Intersect." he stated shrugging his shoulders.

"This is _different._ "

"How so?" he wondered.

"Fulcrum would be _very afraid_ of a very aggressive pregnant woman. _3 months_ to be exact."

"Good point." In that instance, Chuck motions with his head to have the blonde beauty standing in front of him on other side of the coffee table to join him on the black leather couch. "Come on. It looks like you need a movie that's totally stupid and dumb to make you laugh right now."

"Spies Like Us?"

Chuck shakes his head as Sarah takes her places sitting to the left of Chuck on the black leather couch all-the-while not disturbing a still slumbering Peaches. "Nope. _Spaceballs_."

Once again, Sarah rolls her eyes that her husband is unable to notice. While cozying up to her husband, she watches for a few seconds then speaks up. "How many times have your watched this movie babe?"

"Uh, I've lost count. It's a _timeless comedy classic_ and I'll probably watch it till the day I die." he answered.

The former wildcard for the late Langston Graham let's those last few words sink in. After a few moments, she speaks up again. "I wonder what _Casey and Morgan_ are up to? The two of them. _Alone_ in a car _together_ for God knows _how long_."

"I'm sure they're _fine_.

"I'm thinking more about _Morgan's_ _safety_ than _Casey's acutally_."

"Hey, as long as Morgan _doesn't touch anything_ within Casey's car then he should be good." he replied reach back and wrapping his left arm around his wife's waist. After saying that, Chuck has a gradual and sudden realization. _Oh boy._

XXX

"If you _spill any of that grape soda_ in my car Grimes…" growled the proud marine. "…I _swear_ …"

The road trip towards the roughing it in the woods went off relatively smoothly at best. Unfortunately, the person sitting in the passenger is the one person that Casey can't stand at times the other being his tall and nerdy counterpart. Fortunately, Morgan knows this and is trying his best to be on the burly NSA Agent's good side in his efforts to win some major points in favor in receiving his blessing to propose to Alex.

"Don't worry Casey. I know how _particularly clean_ you like your car. It's _your baby_." smiled the bearded beau of Alex McHugh. "It's like how my _Xbox_ is _my baby_. You know."

"What are you lip smacking about?" he grunted briefly expressing an irritated scowled expression towards seemingly smiling Morgan. A smile that irritates him even more than usual since they're stuck in the car together.

" _All I'm saying_ is big guy…" he began to say. Before he continues on he takes a sip from his open can of grape soda. "…if _you really think about it_ we both have _a lot_ in common." Morgan added raising both eyebrows.

For Morgan, his attempt in breaking the icy tension within the confines of Casey's crown Victoria is a considered to be a huge task to even undertake. Fortunately, he's been able to see through his incredibly thick and not to mention gruff exterior in order to fully see the soft interior of a guy who has what he likes to refer as "lady feelings" hidden somewhere inside. He just has to get it out of him and being able to rough it with is the perfect opportunity for some male/father-in-law/future son-in-law bonding.

"Like what?" he gruffly inquired. A glaring, intense stare briefly directed towards his bearded passenger.

The glaring, intense stare shot towards Morgan causes the smile he's expresses to quickly fade. Granted, it's a stare he's been so used to over the years that whenever any kind of glaring expression is sent his way he simply shrugs it off with amusement. Yet, when it comes to this particular stare its much different than anything he's ever experienced and he's even been threatened with bodily harm many times in the past. In that instance, he quickly pulls himself together and gives his response as calmly as he can.

" _Alex_ for one." he answered with a soft smile. "We _both_ love her _very much_ and would most definitely _die for her_ if anything were to happen is she were put into a dangerous situation." he said taking another sip of his grape soda.

After hearing that, Casey expresses small grunt of acknowledgment on his part. "I'll give you that."

" _Plus_ , I recall _both of us_ nearly coming _close to death_ in order to _protect her_ when that _Fulcrum dude_ tortured you a couple years ago. He was using Alex and I as a hostage remember."

Casey is momentary silent while sitting behind the wheel of his precious Crown Victoria. As for Morgan, he's patiently and quietly waiting for a response as he's continuing to chug a bit more grape soda. The silence is deafening for Chuck's hetero life partner until the seasoned government agent speaks up. "Answer me this Grimes."

"What's up?" wondered Morgan with absolute curiosity.

"Answer me truthfully got it."

"Shoot big guy." he replied giving his full and undivided attention to Casey.

"If the roles were _reversed…_ " he gruffly stated with emphasis. "… _how long_ would you have lasted _being tortured_ the way I was by Agent Smith?"

Morgan lets Casey's question sink in and takes a moment to think very long, as well as hard about the answer he's about to give. While sitting there in the passenger seat, he carefully mulls over the seriousness of the question as he takes one more sip of his grape soda. It's at that point, a sour like look is expressed all over his face causing his to squirm in his seat, which Casey notices.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I got to pee." he answered with an apologetic expression on his face.

It's in that moment, Casey regrets using Morgan as part of his plan as he mumbles a few expletives underneath his breath.

XXX

Casey begrudgingly pulled over to let Morgan take a bathroom break. It hadn't been an hour since they left Alex's apartment to head to the site where they'll be roughing it that the little bearded bastard had to take a leak. He knows he wasn't for damn sure let him continue to sit in his car and end up ruining the interior of his car with his already annoying stench he thought to himself. In any case, the black 1985 For Crown Victoria is safety parked off to the side of the road in front a long tunnel in which the opening to the other side can clearly be seen. A seemingly abandoned car sitting on the other side as well. As Casey sits in the driver's side contemplating whether or not to keep Morgan alive, the passenger side door opens with his daughter's boyfriend getting inside.

After taking a breath of much needed relief, Morgan speaks up as he's putting on his seat belt. "I feel much better now."

"As least one of us is." Casey growled with irritated annoyance.

As Casey is about to turn on the engine, the sound of a cell phone is heard ringing within the confines of the Crown Victoria. Morgan knows it isn't his because of the ringtone that is playing, which is semi romantic for likes of one Colonel John Casey. It's not long before the aforementioned Colonel takes out his Ihpone and looks at the screen. Both men see the name calling…Jayne. Instantly, Casey opens the driver's side door and steps out inevitably shutting the door but not before bending down a bit to give his bearded passenger a word of warning.

" _Don't move_ …" threatened Casey. "… _or else_." Casey accepts the phone call and as he's about to leave to speak privately with Jayne he pokes his head in once again. "And _don't_ open another can of grape soda Grimes. I'm _not stopping again_ for you to take a leak." he emphatically added as he sees Morgan reaching back for his camping knapsack.

"Gotcha." nodded Morgan turning around back in his seat.

It wouldn't be long before Casey closes the driver's side door then heads across the street near the guardrails with a wondrous Los Angeles scenic view on the other side. As he is busy having his private conversation with his girlfriend Jayne, Morgan is sitting in the passenger seat in silence. While sitting there, he begins to get considerably fidgety and makes the decision to explore Casey's car.

Granted, he's been in the burly veteran's care before but under different circumstances. Those circumstance were when he was being rescued by Chuck, Sarah, and Travis at the secret Fulcrum warehouse before it exploded. Morgan's curiosity went from searching the middle compartment to counting the number of change in the cup holder usually reserved for a drink. After a while, his attention inevitably focused on the one area of Casey's car he hasn't explored…the glove box.

Morgan takes a quick peak at where Casey is and sees he still across the street talking to Jayne on the phone. He quickly faces forward when the Colonel of the United States Military suddenly turns around to check on him. After a brief moment, Morgan gives a slow sideways glance towards Casey's location then reaches for then inevitably opens the glove box in question. What he first notices and finds is a handgun that he picks up then quickly decides to put back for his own sake. The last thing he wants to end up happening is shooting himself and explaining to Alex why they have returned from camping so quick.

It's not long before he notices a yellow button and his curiosity gets the better of him by reaching over to press said yellow button. Upon doing so, something blue and circular appears on the front shield causing his curiosity to go into overdrive. Unfortunately, he suppresses the urge to investigate any further because he has no idea what might happen so he does the only logical thing to do. He presses the red button next to the yellow button thinking it will turn it off. It doesn't as the blue circular image on the front windshield turns from yellow to red.

The next thing he knows, something is fired out from the front of the car. In a matter of seconds the vehicle that was seemingly abandoned sitting on the other of the tunnel has now been blown up and engulfed in a fireball. An absolutely stunned Morgan sits there speechless with his mouth hanging wide open. While sitting there continuing to stare out the front windshield he hears the all too familiar voice of his name being angrily called out by one man.

" _Griiiimmmmmessss!_ "

XXX

* * *

 _ **NOTE: I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS FUN CHAPTER I WROTE. I'LL MAKE SURE TO POST ANOTHER CHAPTER AS SOON AS I CAN. ONCE AGAIN PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	5. Who Is Hunting Who?

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Casey and Morgan are heading towards the location of their camping site where they'll be roughing it. As usual, Morgan somehow manages to make it mind numbingly interesting for Casey thanks to him suddenly blowing up an abandoned car located at the other side of a tunnel. For this chapter, it focuses on the aftermath of Morgan's curiosity getting the better of him. Plus, a trio of men make their appearance. Lastly, what do Laurel and Hardly, Michael Bay, and the 80's cartoons of Transformers and M.A.S.K. have to do with the story? Well, read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **Who Is Hunting Who?**

 **XXX**

The destruction in the far distance rendered Morgan absolutely speechless as he gets out of the passenger side of Casey's 1985 Ford Crown Victoria. A smile of utter disbelief and amazement is expressed by the sheer grandeur and spectacle of what he is witnessing just beyond the other end of the tunnel. He could feel his body…his hands mostly…momentarily shaking probably due to the shock of it all. Why? It's something he considered to be so unexpected that once it happened all he could was let out a smile.

In his mind, what he just witnessed didn't seem at all that real but it really happened. As much as it felt like being on a movie set, he knows there isn't a well-known director like Michael Bay who is going to call out the word "cut". To his own recollection, he's only been personally involved in only two explosion that he can recall on of which he didn't remember much of it because they were all escaping and speeding away from the warehouse he, Alex, and Casey were held hostage in. The other explosion with the whole Instanbul, Turkey ordeal when Chuck was kidnapped by Travis' brother-in-law Eddie.

As much as his body tensed up to the possibility of paralysis, he found himself moving forward. Morgan became so transfixed by the fiery scene he didn't bother closing the door as he stepped to the right. He then walked forward making his way to the front end of the vehicle. It's the same front end that just a while ago shot a rocket out of a hidden compartment behind the 2nd left headlight in a cool Transformers kind of way. In that moment, he can't help but wonder is Casey's Crown Victoria actually a Transformer. More than meets the eye he thinks to himself. If so, he then wonders if his car is an Autobot or a Decepticon.

It's at that point, a slew of question begin formulating in his mind. _Transformers are real! If Transformer are real then is Cybertron real? If Cybertron is real is Unicron actually real? How long have they been living on our planet? Are the Autobots and Deceptions working for the government? How long has been partnered with his Transformer?_ _Are the autobots actually bad guys and the Decepticons good guys?_

It's those particular thought that causes him to shake his head at the sheer absurdity of it all. He would know if Casey actually was driving a Transformer because he has a keen, uncanny sixth sense to these sorts of things. Yet, if he wasn't able to know then his future father-in-law has kept the biggest and most awesome secret known to man with his best friend being a spy at the top of the list. In that instance, the designated Transformer name pops into his head but then shakes it off immediately.

He then suddenly changes has thinking process and begins comparing Casey's car to the cartoon show M.A.S.K. To him, it was an awesomely incredible 80's cartoon is an underground task force called the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand or otherwise known as M.A.S.K. They are the good guys who fight their arch nemesis criminal organization known as Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem. V.E.N.O.M. to put it simply.

Granted, the 80's cartoon was awesome and considered to be an absolute classic next to Thundercats and Jayce and the Wheeled Warroiors Morgan thinks to himself. However, the toys that were associated with the cartoon itself were and still are considered to be equally as awesome. Toy vehicles such as Condor, Jackhammer, Firefly, Thunderhawk, Rhino, and Coast Patrol were just some of the toy vehicles that if he had them now in perfect condition would be worth a fortune today he thinks to himself.

Of course, he and Chuck had their favorites as kids with his hetero life partner being on the good guy's side having the semi-tractor that instantly converted into a missile mobile command center. When it came to his toy of choice he sided with the bad guys because after all they tended to have all the cool stuff. His choice of vehicle was Switchblade. A helicopter that could transform into a jet plane. _How cool was that be?_

The tense feeling he had earlier would no longer become an issue as his body was no longer shaking because his mind was preoccupied with something else. It gave his body time to relax as he mind allowed him to zone out for a while. To him, to have that momentary wave of explosion of childhood nostalgia impacting him in that very moment caused his body to gradually ease up.

Speaking of explosions, his attention on the smoke gradually dissipating from within secret opening of 2nd left headlight of the Crown Victoria is averted to the fire to the fiery ball in the distance at the other end of the tunnel. Thankfully, he was in the safe confines of the vehicle or his hearing would have been in some way affected by the loud explosion bouncing inside the tunnel and funneling its way towards his direction.

It's at that point he turns around and focuses on Casey's 1985 Ford Crown Victoria once again. He quirks his right brow and purses his lips together that are somewhat hidden within his seemingly well-manicured beard. There is an expression of absolute curiosity as he places his left hand on top of the engine hood that quite possibly the N.S.A. gave him.

He's about to ask its name when his thoughts concerning whether the N.S.A. or C.I.A. for that matter have been secretly using employing Transformers or using M.A.S.K. type vehicles would quickly be averted by the sudden appearance of a massive presence of man standing right behind him. The massive man in question would be Colonel John Casey and upon turning around Morgan can clearly see on his face he's not a happy camper.

XXX

"What did you _not understand_ before I left you alone in the car Grimes?" growled the visibly agitated NSA Agent. "I said _don't touch anything_?" he added reaching out and poking him hard in chest with his right finger.

As Casey is awaiting an answer and intensely staring down at his bearded passenger, Morgan so wants to ask him if his car is either a Transformer or a M.A.S.K. vehicle in disguise. Fortunately, he is able to retrain himself from doing for own health and well being. Instead, he can't help but feel like Stan Laurel getting severely reamed by Oliver Hardy. One of the most classic and iconic comedy duos of all time. True, it would be the skinny Laurel who would wind up getting a lecture or momentarily hit by a hefty Hardy for doing or saying something completely stupid. Yet, even their current situations may be similar Casey is considered by any stretch of the imagination a hefty Oliver Hardy. Far from it he thinks to himself.

To him, he is a much deadlier and meaner than the seemingly loveable character who unlike Hardy doesn't enjoy being hugged. Of course, he hasn't teared up or cried in front of him as Laurel had a tendency to do when he got into trouble with Hardy. Yet, the day is still young and the potential for shedding tears or possibly any other bodily fluids could still happen, which he truly wants to avoid. Chuck's hetero life partner could see Casey's nostrils flaring in a very mincing way while looking up at him and he knows he better answer him or he'll have hell to pay. After taking a moment to message his chest after being firmly poked several times, he answers the burly man standing in front of him.

" _Remember me_? Hi, _Morgan Grimes_. The guy who at _one time_ nearly _burned down_ Chuck's place of business." he quickly babbled out expressing a nervous smile.

While standing there, Morgan could see Casey process and let sink in what he said to him. For the former Buy More green shirt, as long as he has known the big guy he has had the ability to read the grizzled military veteran over the years when it comes to his body language, grunts, and facial expressions as well. In his mind, he has been in a sense a Casey whisperer of sorts to the point where he possibly calm him down with some Oreo cookies if they were readily available.

Unfortunately, for him they are not and the thought of reaching up to pet him on the top of the head while feeding him Oreos is considerably amusing. So amusing in fact, that he restrains himself from laughing. However, Casey notices it and pounces.

" _What's so funny moron_?" gruffly responded Casey in an angered tone of voice.

Instantly, Morgan straightens up and immediately flattens his facial expression. "Nothing."

It's at this point Casey turns around and takes a few steps forward. Afterwards he turns left inevitably pacing back and forth in front of Morgan who doesn't move an inch for his own sake. For the proud marine, he is doing everything in his power to not rush over to where Alex's boyfriend is and strangle him to death. The mere mention of boyfriend as it relates to his daughter leaves an absolutely bad taste in his mouth.

While continuing to pace back and forth not once has he looked in Morgan's direction. In his mind if he does he'll end up succumbing to his urges and ringing his neck to the point chocking him to death. If that happens, he has the ability to make the body disappear. There's one drawback though. Explaining Morgan's disappearance to everyone including his daughter Alex. It's a conflicting thought process that can clearly be seen by Morgan who is continuing to stand there without any movement on his part whatsoever.

When it comes to one Colonel John Casey, he's learned over the years to revert into a human statue of sorts when things got deadly serious between the two of them. This would be one of those occasions he thinks to himself. One of the deadly signs as he refers to it as it pertains to Alex's father is the throbbing vein on his forehead that tells him that there is a high alert and the Casey DEFCON level has been raised tremendously.

XXX

The best friend of Chuck Bartowski has been fortunate enough to be around Casey so long that he has actually implanted what he likes to refer to as the " **5 Casey DEFCON Levels** ". Of course, Casey's former Team Chuck comrades would also have some input as well as it pertains to figuring out the least and most severe levels of the man who doesn't really have a calm center per say. In actuality it's more of an angry center and it's just a matter of pushing the right buttons to get to it.

 **DEFCON 5: (Least severe) Grunting – Considered relatively tame. If you're fortunate or unfortunate to have been around for him you'll have gotten to know and interpret his different grunts. Annoyed with a hint of mildly irrigated and according to Sarah it's Grunt #6, which is not to be confused with Grunt 3# furious agitation. Then are other grunts such as satisfyingly amused, agitated and annoyed, etc. This list goes on and on.**

 **DEFCON 4: Idol Threats – The usual threats of bodily harm. He usually brings up articles of military codes and sections along with government agency rules but aren't necessarily followed through. It tends to get repetitive after a while.**

 **DEFCON 3: Bodily Harm involving actual torture - Waterboarding, electrocution of a specific body part like the testicles, removing of fingers nails with pliers, etc. It goes either way in the seriousness scale depending on the specific situation.**

 **DEFCON 2: Pulsating vein on forehead – This is a severe warning alerting anyone that his outer calm may be breaking but there is the possibility his inner calm could win out. If you hear inhales of deep breaths, it may be a good sign. If this happens, its best to not say anything and leave him be.**

 **DEFCON 1: (Most severe) Pushing him to the point that his inner calm and outer calm are completely broken down. Add to that the sound of neck and knuckles cracking run for safety. There is no point is saying or doing anything at this point. Casey is unleashed**.

Morgan clearly knows from past experience he's on DEFCON 2 and judging from Casey's demeanor his outer calm is on the verge of breaking. It's evident by the way he's massaging his knuckles and moving his neck from side to side. Luckily, he doesn't hear any cracking whatsoever, which is an awesome sound to hear he thinks to himself. To him his inner calm is apparently attempting to keep him from reaching DEFCON 1. All he has to do is ride it out and he'll slowly back down to DEFCON 5. He hopes.

While continuing to stand there in silence, he recalls Chuck sharing a particular mission story involving Casey confronting his former sensei Ty Bennett was a bad guy. It would most definitely not be awesome as it was a complete shock to him because he considered him a mentor and taught him everything he knew. Now, he was at the time considered one of the most wanted rogue agents in the world and he wanted to hunt him down.

The drawback of his former sensei appearing according to Chuck was that he became too emotionally involved. So involved that he came close to severely injuring the former asset who was locked in Bennet's trunk. The reason he came close to being severely injured as the former student would ram his former mentor's car even though he was fully aware Chuck's in the trunk. Needless to say, Bennet got away and Casey would be reprimanded by Beckman for letting him escape.

From what Sarah told Chuck, the hulking NSA Agent was absolutely pissed off knowing before he escaped Bennett actually offered him to be his student again. He also wanted to take his training to the next level whatever that meant he thinks to himself. It wouldn't be long before Beckman was informed of the situation to the point of accusing Casey of being too involved because of the personal history between he and Bennett. She even went so far as lecturing him for putting Chuck's life at risk for a person vendetta.

His vendetta would get to a point where he would trick Chuck into helping him and would put him in a headlock in order find out his exact location. After flashing, Chuck would find himself captured along with Sarah and Casey within the confines of Bennett's dojo surrounded by his students. This would lead to an ensuing battle between former student and sensei. Unfortunately, Casey would find himself at the wrong end of the beatdown.

It wasn't until Chuck getting a sudden idea to hopefully turn the tide in Casey's favor to beat Bennett. His best friend since they 6, basically told him while he was down on the ground that he felt betrayed by someone he really cared about. Plus, he spent so much of his life pushing people away and lashing out with words along with punch as well. He added the reason Casey does this is because he's scared.

Morgan remembers the look on Chuck's face when he clearly saw his tactic was working. He continued on by sharing that he told Casey he was scared to be known and to see who he really was at the time as a person. A person that he and Sarah would actually care about. He continued to push telling him that that underneath his extremely terrifying exterior lies a man who deeply, deeply feels. A man who cares about he and Sarah but caring more for him. A warm, mushy kind of caring. It eventually got to the point where Chuck took a big risk with his life and said the following words to him: " _You love me John Casey_."

That sent him over the edge to where it actually helped defeat his former Sensei Ty Bennett. Fortunately, the old John Casey and the new John Casey are for the most part two different men. It would be safe to say there is a lot less anger than usual as he's progressed over the years into becoming who has a personal life and not to mention the type of guy to set down roots. However, when it comes to messing with the people he cares about, especially his daughter Alex then prepare for a world of hurt he thinks to himself.

Morgan's instincts to ride out Casey's DEFCON 2 level paid off. It would be one of those days where he be come out any situation involving Casey's anger practically unscathed. As a matter fact, he's been positively progressing in the last years to the point where he's becoming a mellow dude. Yet, he knows he wouldn't dare say that out loud or to his face for that matter. It can clearly by seen by him and everyone else who has had the pleasure of being around him.

In any case, it wouldn't be long before Casey stops pacing back and forth. He takes a long deep breath with his down and back turned away from him. In his mind it's a clear visual sign that he's downgrading from a level 2 to hopefully back to a level 5. There is a bit of tense filled moment just a few feet away from him and it wouldn't be long before he would know the imminent threat to his life would be called off.

" _Stay put_ Grimes! Where I can _see_ you." Morgan gives a quick nod of acknowledge as Casey begins rifling through his contact in his Iphone searching for a number.

"What are you doing?" he wondered.

"I'm cleaning up _your mess_." Afterwards, he turns around to avoid looking at him for his own sake than Morgan's. Upon doing so, the little bearded man faintly hears 4 words grunted out. " _You shot my rocket_." he added shaking his head.

XXX

The aftermath of the unexpected explosion caused by a rocket fired from the front end of Casey's 1985 Ford Crown Victoria would quickly be dealt with thanks to the ever so reliable NSA Cleaners. Granted, it added on about 45 minutes to an hour off their travel time and knowing Casey he is the type of guy who has considered himself meticulous when it comes to being on a schedule. To him, he didn't want to draw much attention on their way to the intended location, but that didn't go according to plan thanks to his daughter's bearded bastard of a boyfriend.

Thankfully, the roads were clear of any vehicles as Casey would be dealing with one of the NSA cleaners in charge upon their arrival 30 minutes later. He also knew he had to call General Beckman who quite possibly monitoring his every moment after their conversation in his apt, which she was already expecting. After speaking briefly with Beckman, the seasoned government agent would be the one supervising the clean-up and it would be as if there wasn't any sign or anyone noticing for that matter an explosion ever occurred in that particular area.

Unfortunately, everything leading up to the aftermath would be noticed. However, much to their extensive training, they would be highly concealed so that they wouldn't be spotted by their former team leader.

" _What do you see Pac?"_

It's a question directed to Packard who is at the moment using binoculars at considerably safe distance. He presses a button to zoom in a bit closer for a much clearer view. Packard, along with T.I. and MacKintosh, have been trailing Casey ever since leaving his passenger's apartment complex. As for as they know, they haven't been spotted knowing every precautionary measure has been taken, especially now with the sun gradually setting. However, even though they've taken those precautionary measures they…namely Packard…knows Casey all too well. After all, he sort of considered himself Casey's 2nd in command being that his expertise was/still is special weapons.

"Casey being Casey." he responded with a smirk.

" _What does that even mean?"_

In that instance, Packard lowers the binoculars and slowly turns around to see a very large and not to mention tattooed individual. The individual in question is sitting within the opening of their S.U.V. hidden within the woods. His name is T.I. and his expertise is hand to hand combat. In any case, the S.U.V. itself is parked on a trail behind dense trees and brush with a road just a few feet away. Just beyond the road is a guardrail that overlooks a chasm of a scenic nature that one John Casey has seen as well.

" _It means_ …" Packard stated with a sly grin. He steps forward clutching the binoculars in his left hand. The special weapons expert makes his way to his other two teammates waiting at/in the van. The leaves underneath his boots make a crunching sound but not so loud that it gives away their exact location. "…he's _predictable_ and because of that we're _this_ _close_ to the _big pay off_ boys." His sly grin turns into a wicked smile as he reaches over to pat the hulking tattooed man on his right cheek with his right hand.

T.I. expresses a smirk of his own. His smirk gradually fades leading the big man to pushing himself up in a standing position. Upon doing so, the S.U.V. briefly jostles from side to side as he grabs the binoculars from Packard's left hand. It's now Packard's turn to take his muscular teammate's place while T.I. positions himself in the spot where the special weapons expert previously stood. While standing there looking through the binoculars and witnessing his former team leader what looks to be giving orders, he speaks up.

"Why don't we just _grab Casey_ and _take out_ the other guy?"

In that instance, MacKintosh speaks up in response to what T.I. sugguest. " _Sounds like an easy enough plan._ " he stated sitting in the driver's seat of the S.U.V. Packard glances over his left shoulder at the electronic expert of the now three man team. "Plus, I _owe_ Casey for not letting me use _my taser_ back in the vault years ago in the Iranian desert." he said holding said taser in question and momentary lighting it up. The look in his eyes are a mixture of insanity and eager pleasure.

" _We stick to the plan_."

Upon hearing that, MacKinstosh and T.I.'s focus is now on Packard who is leaning comfortable against the opening of the sliding door of the S.U.V. He doesn't seem too worried in regards to sticking to plan that could very well fall apart at any moment knowing full well that John Casey is who their hunting. Yet, in the back of his mind he could be hunting them and quite possibly setting a trap for them. Essentially, it's a who is hunting who scenario and ultimately it will come down to who makes their move first.

For Packard, he knows it's a chess game between them and Casey. In his mind, every move they make is pivotal because their former team leader is possibly counter any potential move being made on him. What it primarily comes down to is patience and they waited patiently for their big payoff to come true after coming so close to attaining it. Unfortunately, slipped through their fingers thanks to the boy scout who didn't go along with their plan when it came to striking it rich and going for early retirement.

" _Hands off_ Casey _until_ we get what we want." he firmly stated. Afterwards, Packard reaches up with his right hand to rake through his salt and pepper locks.

" _Rightfully deserve_ you mean." T.I. stated.

"Affirmative." nodded Packard flashing another sly smirk towards T.I. " _Besides_ …" Packard said expressing faint grin. He then stands up and walks over to and stands next to T.I. Afterwards, he reaches down taking the binoculars back from massive man's hands. Once he does, he looks through it giving his attention is on Casey "…in order to get the mouse to _cooperate_. You need the _right_ _cheese_ gentlemen." His attention from Casey is averted and focused on the little bearded man. To him, he's a man who looks seemingly fearful of his life while standing in front of their former team leader.

XXX

* * *

 _ **NOTE: HERE'S A NEW CHAPTER FOLKS! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT TOO LONG. THIS WAS ANOTHER FUN ONE TO WRITE! HOPE YOU ENJOYED! AGAIN, PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	6. Getting Closer

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Casey and Morgan deal with the aftermath of the rocket destroying an abandoned vehicle while taking a momentary break from their road trip. In the midst of the aftermath, Casey's former team are keeping a watchful eye in the distance in a well concealed area. This chapter focuses on the two most import women in the two men's lives as they spend some girl time together in order to have a talk. What will they talk about and what does the movie Kick-Ass have to do with it? Well, read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **Getting Closer**

 **XXX**

It's around 7:45 p.m. as Alex and Jayne walk into Starbucks. The two women share a connection that revolved around their significant others namely Casey and Morgan. Although they've interacted with each other in the past it has been more of a social setting in the form of Bartowski/Woodcombs/Riley gathering or the aftermath of dangerous situations such as someone getting kidnapped. Needless to say, even though there have been opportunities for one on one interaction between the two women for "girl talk" there hasn't really been a reason for them to talk until now.

Jayne sought to rectify that unfortunate situation knowing that among their tight inner circle there should be some female bonding time together. Plus, after what she heard over the phone earlier today with the sound of an explosion and Casey yelling Morgan's name now would be a good time as ever. After waiting in line for a few moments they stepped aside waiting for their order and while doing so, the two women stand there in awkward silence to the point where the ladies exchange smiles to break the awkwardness the both of them are truly feeling right now.

To distract her, she turns her attention away from Alex to everyone else within the confines of Starbucks. For a woman who has been in a relationship with John Casey, she learned to account for the number of exits within any establishment just in case you have to make a quick escape. In addition, taking note of any little detail that is considered to be vitally important in case something suddenly goes down. Number of individuals, their facial features, height, weight, how a person is standing, any suspicious behavior to be aware of, and not to mention if there are noticeable signs an individual is carrying.

 _Always be prepared._ Of course, she's always been that way but now her heightened state of awareness is even more acute than ever since she found out her burly beau's secret identity. She vividly recalls the night Casey going out to take the trash and when he did she decided to get on his computer to check her email then get on Facebook. The next thing she knows she finds herself in some sort of lockdown situation causing her to freak out a bit.

For her, she didn't have any idea what's was happening in that very moment as she saw the bars keeping her from not going anywhere. She was very concerned for her own safety and well-being after seeing the images of Ellie and Devon's apartment on his computer. In her mind, she thought she was quite possibly dating a stalker or far worse…a serial killer. Thankfully, he was neither of the two she thinks to herself.

At the time, when the truth came out concerning who he really was she was scared but at the same time fully prepared to handle herself. She felt truly capable of defending herself even before she met the man who changed her life in every sense of the word. Of course, she would change his life for the better as well knowing full well how much a private person Casey is. Thinking back, it was that moment, that she truly was able to get a glimpse into the self-professed cold school killer's heart as it pertained to her.

It would be in that moment, the decision wasn't forced upon her by Casey at all. Far from it she thinks to herself. Granted, it was a very intense situation as she remembers feeling a mixture of being nervous and pissed off. Yet, at the same time was fully capable of standing her ground and would go down fighting if he were to try anything, which he didn't.

 _"Listen, unlike some women in Los Angeles who are unable to defend themselves I can and you know what I'm capable of." she stated. "I'll go down fighting."_

 _"I know what you're capable of."_

 _"What's going on John?" she inquired with curious concern in her voice._

 _"I have Devon and Ellie on surveillance for their own protection. I've been keeping an eye on them for the past year or so ever since Chuck and Sarah got their own place in Santa Monica. My job is to protect Chuck but that is now Sarah's job."_

 _"What do Chuck and Sarah have to do with this?"_

 _"That is classified."_

 _"Tell me…" she emphatically stated. Her eyebrows furrow and eyes narrowing towards Casey's direction. "…now!"_

Jayne vividly recalls the brief explanation of his mission as he referred to it concerning Chuck and Sarah. Though unbelievable as it sounded, she inevitably asked him an important question about herself. In her mind, it would be considered a truly crucial moment not just for her, but for Casey as well.

 _"Do you have me…my house on surveillance?" questioned Jayne._

 _"No." grunts Casey._

 _"How do I know you're telling the truth?"_

 _"You don't."_

 _The little information she is getting is astonishing and yet disappointing at the same time. She sits on the stool behind her. After taking some time to take everything in she turns to face him. "What happens now?"_

 _"Protocol states that I tranq you and you be sent off to some undisclosed location for your own protection."_

 _"My own protection?" A mixture of confused disbelief appears on her face. "I don't need protecting not even from you."_

 _"Not from me." he firmly answered. "From the enemies I've made in the past and if they knew about you they would use you in order to get to me." Casey stand up and walks in front of the armchair in order to lift up the seat cushion. He grabs the tranq gun and points it at her. "It for your own good because I can't have you be put in danger."_

 _"Why?" she firmly stated._

 _"Because."_

 _"Because why?" Jayne crosses her arms as she furrows her eyebrows looking intently at Casey. "I'm only going to ask you once until you give me an answer John. So spill._

 _"I care about you that's why." he spitted out. He shakes his head as he steps around the armchair and steps forward towards her. "And because I care about you I don't want you to put yourself in danger. If you are then I'm not going to be able to do my job."_

 _A hint of a smile appears on her face. "I care about you too believe me I do but can't I make that decision on my own?"_

 _Casey shakes his head. "I'm sorry."_

 _Jayne stands up and slowly walks straight over to him all-the-while preparing for what Casey might do. She stops a few feet shy of where he's standing with the tranq gun still pointing at her. She stands there and then closes her eyes for her fate. To her, she expects to be shot and then wake up somewhere. However, nothing happens after what seems like a lifetime._

 _It's at that point she hears something causing her to slowly open her eyes. Once she does, she first off sees that Casey has lowered the tranq gun that was pointing at her. Second, the bars have been retracted from archway located in between the front door and living room. "You can stay living a life where you will always be looking over your shoulder or walk away never to see me again. The choice is yours." he stated._

Those 4 words echoed loudly for her as she stood there in front of Casey. Yet, she made her choice and doesn't regret one iota. Her thoughts return the present and it's not long before Jayne suddenly notices something concerning Alex that's gets her attention while the young woman is standing with her arms crossed. Her Iphone clutched in her left hand as she uses her thumb to possibly scroll through her Facebook feed. "Your father does that." she said leaning in towards her expressing an amused smile.

Alex lifts her head upon hearing Jayne's voice breaking the focus she has. Afterwards, she notices her smiling causing her to response in somewhat similar fashion as her father with a grunt. It's something that causes Casey's girlfriend is considerably tickled by. Like father like daughter she thinks to herself.

" _I said_ …" she said pointing to her two fingers on her right hand. "…your father does that." Jayne repeated again. Alex looks down to her fingers to find her rubbing them in a subconscious way. She immediately stops then gives a quick nod of somewhat embarrassed acknowledgment towards Jayne. "That thing with your fingers. He does that when he's nervous."

" _Oh_ , I didn't realize that." she responded with a slight smirk. "I've _never noticed_ until now." Alex added shrugging her shoulders.

There is another moment of awkward silence between the two leading to Jayne to speak up once again. "If it makes you _feel_ any better, _I'm_ nervous too."

A slight smile appears on Alex's face upon hearing that. "It actually does. _Thanks_." she softly retorted.

"Yeah, the two of us _haven't really_ spent time _together_."

The broken awkwardness between the two would subsequently be averted by the sound of their orders being called out. After getting their beverages, it would be Alex who speaks up this time. " _So_ , what did you want to talk about? It _sorta sounded urgent_ over the phone." she asked taking a brief sip of her drink.

"Casey and Morgan." she replied taking a brief sip of her beverage. Alex nods in response and takes a momentary deep breath for the discussion they'll be having. After spotting a place to sit, Jayne motions with her head to Alex to grab a seat.

XXX

"I'm sure my dad was _pissed_." Alex chuckled with amusement.

"Of course he was." nodded Jayne shaking her head. After taking another brief sip of her beverage she continues on. "He _actually said_ he was going to use that rocket for _a special occasion_." she said leaning in and putting the last two words in air quotes.

After hearing that, Alex's right brow arches with a look of disbelief. For Alex, nothing ever really surprises her anymore when it concerns anything that her dad says or does. True, it did affect her in the very beginning after finding out the man who has coming to talk with her at the Pieshack in SilverLake was actually her father. Fortunately, they've been gradually getting closer to the point where the two of them have spent some quality father-daughter time together.

Of course, Casey's version of quality father-daughter has been going to the gun range in order to see who the better marksman is. The obvious winner would certainly be the man who's a train sniper. Yet, she has been gradually getting better herself to the point where she could teach her old man a few things she thinks to herself. Thinking about it further, if she could compare it to something it would be somewhat similar to that of somewhat real life version of the movie Kick Ass. A movie she watched with Morgan a couple days before he left to rough it with her dad.

It was movie night and it was Morgan's choice since she made the choice last time, which was The Lake House starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. In any case, her father would be Big Daddy who in the film is played by the ever eccentric Nick Cage whereas she is Hit-Girl played by Chloe Grace Moretz. Although her father has qualities that resemble Cage's character but in a more deadlier way, she wouldn't be at all like the dangerously young female costumed superhero, vigilante assassin Moretz's character portrayed.

Alex's thoughts concerning the father-daughter relationship comparison to a not so believable movie based father-daughter relationship is inevitably averted to Jayne sitting across from her. While sitting there, she knows there's much more to this get together than just talking about her father wanting to kill Morgan for seemingly the billionth time. In that instance, she makes the initiative to get the conversation on the right track.

"So…" Alex started taking a moment to take a deep breath. "…what did you _really_ want to talk about?" she wondered with curiosity. "Like you said, we haven't really spent much time together."

Jayne nods. "Yeah. As you know your _dad_ is…" She pauses for a moment trying to search for the right words to describe Alex's father. "… _your dad_. He can be…"

Alex smiles knowing full well it's hard to really pinpoint the right description of her father. " _Stubborn_?"

" _Complicated_ …" chimed in Jayne with a smile. "…is more like it." In that instance, Jayne raises her beverage in a quasi like toast then takes a quick sip. Afterwards, she continues on. "Your dad has made some strides in being able to share what he likes to call " _lady feelings_ " even though he doesn't want to admit it."

"He's a _better man_ because of you Jayne. I know you _don't push him_ and because of that I've seen _glimpses of the man_ he wants to become. At the same time, there's an inner conflict going on as well." Alex then leans in so that other's around them won't be able to hear. "Normalcy vs. The cold school killer and hardened government agent. A bit of normalcy is gradually winning out and you're to thank for that." she added with a softer smile towards her. There is a brief moment of silence on her part then continues on. "I know my dad _missed out_ on marrying my mom and since she remarried I've known there's been _a void_ left in his heart."

"He learned to deal with it."

"Has he?" questioned Alex. "My dad may be _physically strong_ on the outside, but on the inside he's so emotionally constipated as Morgan describes him to be." she said with concern in her voice.

"I know." Jayne softly replied. "Not _the emotional type_ that one unlike Chuck."

The two women share a bit of laughter knowing how true that statement is. Afterwards, Alex continues on. "My dad has some emotional stuff bottled up and it took you to help him let it out…" she pauses for a second. "…in _small_ spurts. Nothing _grand or upscale_."

"Like _Chuck_ does for _Sarah_?"

Instantly, Alex points at Jayne. " _You_ said it…" she smirked. "… _not me_."

" _Annoying_ , isn't it."

Alex shrugs her shoulder in response. " _Sometimes_. That's them though. _You_ and _my dad_ …" The daughter of Alex Coburn expresses another soft smile towards Jayne the speaks up. "…are _totally different_ from the two of them."

"In what way?"

"With Chuck and Sarah, it _always involves words_. The _two of you_ …" she giving a firm nod. "…not so much." Alex added shaking her head."

"Is that _a good thing?_ " questioned Jayne.

" _To me_ it is. It tells me _so much_." In that moment, Alex places her beverage down in front of her then leans forward and places her right hand gently on top of Jayne's left. " _It tells me,_ you're _his_ _one true love_."

XXX

 _His one true love._ Admittedly, those four words are considered truly impactful, especially coming from Casey's only daughter. Truth be told, she never really considered it because when it comes to Kathleen she will always have a special place in his heart. After all, she was his first love she thinks to herself. Her thoughts suddenly break when she hears two word causing her to repeat it.

" _Second chance?_ "

"Yes. You're _his second chance_ at _true love_ Jayne."

The impact of those words hit Jayne with such force that it renders her momentarily speechless. It takes a brief second before she forces herself to respond. "I'm flattered Alex."

"It's the _truth_." The soft smile on Alex's face suddenly turns serious as she locks eyes with the woman who she considers her father's true love. " _Real talk_?" Jayne doesn't say a word. Instead, she gives a simple nod. "I have never seen my father _this happy_ before. He may not say it out loud but it can _clearly_ be seen in his _eyes, body language_ , and _smile_ whenever he's around you." Alex firmly stated. " _Everybody else_ sees too."

"Wow…" retorted Jayne with an impressive expression on her face. "…has the NSA _recruited_ you yet?" she asked in a joking manner. She once again leans in for privacy. "You know _your dad_ can put it _a good word_ for you since he has some pull."

" _Hey!_ " The somewhat loud and not to mention sudden outburst given off by Alex causes a brief scene from where they are sitting. This causes an awkward moment but fortunately it would be brief as the young woman continues on. "I'm _serious_ Jayne"

"I _know_ you are." In that moment, Jayne sits straight up in her chair while holding her beverage on both sides sitting on the table. She briefly looks down then lefts her gaze to lock eyes with Alex. "I am _in love_ with your father and I'm _pretty sure_ he loves me."

" _He is..._ " Once again, Alex reaches out with her left hand and places it on Jayne's right. "...and _he_ _does_."

"It's considered a _sign of weakness_ that could be used _against you_ in case you're taken _hostage_ at any point. _His words_ not mine." grinned Jayne in response.

" _See_ …." she said squeezing both her hands. "…you _get him. Most of all_ you're _patient_ with him and the _only_ woman _I feel_ who is able to _understand_ him…" Alex pauses as a appreciative smile appears on her face. "… _verbally and nonverbally_." she humorously added. Jayne exchanges an appreciative smile back leading Alex to continue on. " _Plus_ , you're able to do something that _not too many women_ can do."

Jayne quirks her right brow with absolute curiosity. "What might _that_ be?"

"Keep him line." firmly nodded Alex. "You're in a _select group_ with _Sarah, Ellie,_ and _General Beckman_." she added leaning back. She lets go of Jayne's hands and picks up her beverage to raise it towards her. "Here's to _you_." In that instance, Jayne reciprocates Alex's toast by reaching down to pick up her beverage and raises it towards her as well. After taking a sip, Casey's daughter speaks up once again. " _Listen_ , if my dad makes the decision to _settle down_ and _marry you_ …"

Those two words nearly cause Jayne to spit out the beverage she's drinking. After taking a moment to clean remnants of her drink off her mouth, she stares briefly at Alex. She then shakes her head and gives her response. " _Seriously!?_ "

XXX

"We _haven't_ talked about _marriage at all_. As a matter of fact, that's far from _my mind_ or _his_ for that matter." she quickly spitted out.

" _Whoa!_ Calm down." Alex humorous said holding both hand up in front of her. She shakes her head knowing full well that she and her dad aren't in that stage of their relationship...yet. Granted, her father isn't really in that head space right now but he is taking baby step in that direction she thinks to herself. He's set down roots in Los Angeles and not to mention has forged lifelong relationships with people who were once deemed strangers turned friends and now have been family. It's something that was truly missing from his life that was filled with secrecy, danger, death, mistrust, as well as betrayal. What has brought it all together is love. The mutual love and respect they have for each other. " _I know_ you two won't be walking down the isle any time soon. _Maybe_ someday."

"Maybe. I _hope_ so." A faint smile appearing on her lips for a moment then gradually fades. "I'm haven't pushed the issue."

"Have you two at least talked about your future together?" wondered Alex.

Jayne lets that question sink for moment then gives her response. "Not at length. He does tell me..." It's at this point Jayne leans in pointing at Alex. "...and this is between _you and me_." The young woman sitting across from her silently nods in agreement. "He tells me that his life has _more meaning_ since I've stepped in his life."

Alex expresses a smirk after hearing that. "That _huge_."

"Really?"

"Yeah, _especially_ if it's coming from my dad. As you know, he's a man of _few words_..."

"You got that right." she chimed in raising both eyebrows.

"Him saying you give him more meaning says _a lot_." Alex notices a perplexed look on Jayne's face leading her to explain further. "You got to remember he's given his life to the government to be their enforcer in order to protect the greater good. Though his priorities haven't changed, he has _additional greater good_ to protect..." she explained. "...you."

"Are you sure?"

"100%. My dad _swore_ to protect Chuck along with Sarah. Even though they annoy him at times he made _a life long promise_ to protect that relationship."

"When and how do you know that?"

"It doesn't matter when and how I know." he said shaking her head. "Just know this. He's now sworn to _protect something_ he _doesn_ 't want to lose and _I dare say_ will give his _own life for_ , which is _you_."

Jayne can feel herself welling up to the point of tears coming out. She restrains herself from crying and composes herself enough to give her response. " _And you_. He would _die_ for you too."

"There's _no denying_ that. My dad _unleashed_ because of _you_ and _me._.." Alex cringes at the thought of anyone in her dad's path of destruction. "...may God have mercy on their _unfortunate_ souls."

"He is _a force to be reckoned with_ when he is _deeply motivated._ "

"What can motivate you more than the love for a child and _forever teammate_ that will _always_ have your back." Alex said reaching down to take a quick sip of her beverage.

There is a momentary silence shared between the two women. As Jayne takes a few seconds to take a deep breath in order to avoid any tears from falling down her check she notices Alex smiling at her causing to wonder why. "What? What is it? Snot?" she inquired covering her nose somewhat embarrassed.

"No. It's not that."

"What then?"

"I'm just sitting here thinking the day will come when my dad will _eventually retire_ from saving the day and _settle down_ with you." Alex sets her beverage down once again and then leans in. She reaches across the table and places both hands gently on top of Jaynes. Once she does, she expresses a soft smile towards her. "My dad is _lucky_ to have you in his life and if _that day ever comes_ I want you to know I give _my blessing_ for the two of you to get married."

Once again, Jayne is render absolutely speechless by what she just heard coming from Casey's only daughter. Her words coming from such a young lady are so impactful that she can feel the tears sliding down her cheek. Of course, what is happening right now by giving her blessing as it pertains to herself and her father is happening with Casey and Morgan unbeknownst to her. In her mind, it's the sheer irony of it all that Casey's daughter has given her blessing while Morgan is attempting to get the blessing from Casey, which is most definitely a tough task to undertake she thinks to herself. In any case, Jayne can't help but be moved and lucky to be part of Alex's life knowing she not going to replace her mother. She'll continue to be what she's always been...a friend.

"Thanks Alex..." she softly stated. "...for _everything_."

"No problem." nodded Alex with a grin.

* * *

 ** _NOTE: SO WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THIS CHAPTER? HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT! AS ALWAYS PLEASE REVIEWS BECAUSE THEY'RE AWESOME!_**


	7. Team Player

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Alex and Jayne did a little female bonding at Starbucks. The two ladies grew closer as they had a heart to heart talk with each other. Alex ended up giving her blessing to Jayne for her to marry her father if it ever happens much to Jayne's surprised shock. In any case, this chapter focuses on Casey's 3 teammates and how each of them first met with the their former team leader. Who was looking for fun? Who got put to sleep? Who lost due to a bullet? Plus, what does 80's tv show A-Team and the Suicide Squad from the comics have to relate to the story? Read and find out if! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **Team Player**

XXX

The 3 former teammates of Colonel John Casey sit in their respective seats as they follow him and the short bearded man towards their intended destination. All 3 men have the same grudge against a man who they considered to be a brother in arms that fought against a common enemy. Unfortunately, on that fateful day somewhere in the Zargos Moutains of Iran they weren't able to have the big pay day in stealing a vault full of gold thanks to their turncoat leader. Each man somewhat lost in the thought reflecting back on their first encounter with the man who chose the greater good of country rather than the greater good of the all mighty dollar.

While the man driving the vehicle grips the steering while keeping a discreet distance at night in order to not be spotted, he reflects back on how he was recruited to be on Casey's team. For him, it's a moment that he remembers very clearly as if it were yesterday.

" _Mackintosh?_ "

" _Maybe. Who's asking?" he answered as he glanced over his right shoulder._

 _The man being asked the question momentarily stopped twisting the screwdriver clutched in his right hand. He then lowered it to the right side of the device sitting on the work table in front of him. He slowly turned around in his metallic swivel stool. A stool that most definitely seen better days as parts of it have somewhat noticeable rust evident by the sound it gave off. While doing so, he gripped the screwdriver by the handle as he intently stared at the burly behemoth holding a file folder standing in the opening of the cage._

 _To him, he's the type of person who would rather enjoy the company of electronics instead of people. In his mind, anything electronic can be fixed if you know what you're doing unlike people who are considered to be impossible to fix he thinks to himself. One of the reasons is that he wasn't much of team player and when he has been assigned to teams in past missions difficult complications would arise. Of course, the difficult complications were obviously his teammates fault and not his. However, his account wouldn't matter and his statement of what really happened most likely would not be added into his file._

 _Speaking of his file, he broke his attention on the somewhat thick file then lifted his head up at the man who was now giving him an icy stare as his arms were crossed. The file itself tucked under his left arm._

" _Casey…" he answered stepping forward to his left. He makes his way towards the other side of the work table. "…Major John Casey."_

 _Mackintosh slowly turned around in his metal swivel stool as Casey made his way around to the other side of the work table. The cautiousness in his eyes clearly evident as he vividly remembers. "Casey. I've heard of you. Your reputation precedes you." he nodded with impressed expression on his face. A soft grunt is heard by Mackintosh from a man who has built up a reputation in the spy world._

" _And that is?"_

" _Not much of a people person. Unforgiving. When you're given an order…" he stated as he stared intently in the eyes of the man standing across the work table from him. "…you don't question it. A cold school killer." he added briefly raising his right brow. There is a moment of silence then continued on. "What do you want with me?" he said breaking eye contact. His attention returned to the device he focusing on with using the screwdriver that's been tightly gripped in his right hand just in case he needed to defend himself._

" _A mission."_

" _Will it be easy and fun?"_

" _It's not that kind of mission."_

 _Upon hearing that, he immediately gave his response. "No thanks. I'll pass." he replied without even looking behind him._

 _The hulking man growled. "This isn't up for debate."_

 _Mackintosh continued to focus and tinker with the device in front of him using the screwdriver. He was briefly silent then stopped taking a moment to point with the screwdriver towards the man standing in front of him. "I'm sure you've read my file." he stated knowing it's a longshot that it's actually his file he's got tucked under his left arm. He continued focusing and working on the device in front of him as he heard what sounded like papers shuffling. Afterwards, he heard the voice of Major Casey once again._

" _Elias Mackintosh. Graduated M.I.T. with a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering. Recruited to the N.S.A. your sophomore year in college." Mackintosh continued to not look up as he heard Casey's voice give a rundown from his file. "Doesn't work well with others. Disobeyed a direct order during a mission. Orders were not to use lethal force as it pertained to using a modified stun gun on a potentially key informant."_

 _Upon hearing that Mackintosh shook his head. "He wasn't talking. So…" he said raising his head and locking eyes with Casey. "…I took it upon myself to get result." In that moment, he lifted his left hand brandishing a weapon. In doing so, he keenly observed if there is any kind of reaction. Unfortunately, he didn't get even a slight flinch from the Major. "Yeah. I'm not much of a team player. Takes on to know one." he nodded firmly pressing the trigger. The barrel end of the weapons sparks with electricity._

 _In that instance, the man sitting down intently watched as Casey stepped forward dropping the now closed filed in front of him down on the work table. Afterwards, Mackintosh took his finger off the trigger and set it down in full view of seemingly massive individual. "I'm not here to see whose Johnson is bigger. You're part of this mission whether you like it or not." grunted Casey in an authoritative manner._

 _Mackintosh staree up at Casey. Then after a few seconds a smirk slightly appeared in the corner of his mouth. "What's in it for me?"_

" _It gets you out of this hell hole?" he answered looking around. "The punishment of being stuck here and repairing agent's weapons when they don't work properly."_

 _In response, Mackintosh slowly stood up and looked around the cage filled with electronics and gadgets that he enjoys being around. It feels more like home to him. "You call it a punishment." he retorted pointing at Casey. "I call it heaven." he smiled dropping the screwdriver that was clutched in his right hand. A sense of intense craze emanating within his eyes. "Still not sold. Am I part of some A-Team like the 80's tv show making me Howling Mad Murdock and you Hannibal? Or how about some live comic book version of Suicide Squad from the DC universe?_

 _While standing there, he recalls what he just said went over Casey's head. Way over by the scowling, hardened look all over his face. "What in the hell are you lip smacking about? You're doing this for the greater good. The satisfaction of cutting off the flow of money to the enemy. Plus, these orders are from President Clinton himself."_

 _A soft chuckle was let out by Mackintosh after hearing that. "What else is new. We're always doing that on any given day. Hell, James Bond does that to every egomaniacal bad guy in every movie. Give me better selling point than that Casey."_

 _He stood there waiting for Casey to respond from something totally enticing that could make him join his team. It's at that point, he watched as the apparent leader of the team he may be part of reached over and picked up his weapon by the barrel end that he set down a while ago. He then pointed the handle end towards him causing his attention from there to having him look directly at each other face to face._

" _The mission is located in Iran_. _"_

" _I need more."_

 _A clear but soft agitated growl is expressed that is heard by Mackintosh. "Fine. You are authorized to have" fun" but within the parameters of the mission."_

" _I'm in. I call dibs on the window seat." grinned Mackintosh noticing the brief nod towards the stun gun. He reached over with his right hand and takes his weapon from Casey. Afterwards, he holstered it leading him to continue on. "I'm going to enjoy this mission. When do we leave?" he wondered with pure and not to mention eager excitement in his voice._

" _Not yet. There are preparations that need to be made. Intel to be sorted through." he said reaching down to pick up the file. He places the file back under his left arm and makes his way around the table then towards the open doorway of the cage._

" _How many people are on the team?" he asked turning around with his arms crossed._

" _You'll find out when the time comes."_

" _How do I reach you?"_

" _You don't." he answered disappearing out of sight._

It would be 2 weeks later before Casey contacted him and inevitably introduced him to his 2 other members of the team. A brotherhood. T.I. and Packard. He would consider them brothers who share a common enemy that was once a supposed ally. He betrayed all three of them several years ago and they're close to getting their redemption, as well as retribution.

XXX

T.I., the hand to hand combat specialist of the groups, sits comfortably in the back passenger seat of the S.U.V. right behind Packard. As he's sitting there, he too reflects back on how Casey introduced himself and was quite literally hands on to say the least. First impressions are considered to be a make or break situation and it most definitely made one on the big man. He recalls being in a gym where he frequents and after finishing up an intense weightlifting workout set he sits up toweling his head off. While doing so, he suddenly noticed a water bottle in his field of vision.

Once he removed the towel from his head, there Casey stood reaching out with his right hand to give him the water bottle. In the other hand, he noticed a file folder that's presumably his.

" _No thanks…" he said reaching behind him. "...don't need it." T.I. added lifting it up. The bottle itself consisted of some creatine-like mixture within. After opening the top, he took a moment to drink of it leaving Casey to just stand there holding a water bottle. Once he finished, he reached up and wiped off his mouth with the same towel he used to dry off. He then briefly glanced up while sitting there at the end of the bench and took a breather. "What do you want?" he gravelly asked._

" _I'm putting together a team."_

" _Do I get to bust some heads? I've got some pent up aggression I need to let out."_

 _T.I. expected a response but the only thing he got back was a silent stare along with a soft but clearly audible grunt. Afterwards he continued on._

" _Tobias Ian Wright…" Casey read off. "…T.I. for short. You broke the arm of a fellow teammate."_

" _He annoyed me."_

" _It was non-lethal combative hand to hand exercise." Casey paused taking a moment to briefly read on. "Lacks being a team player along with authority issues. Plus, issues containing your anger. Prone to fits of rage as it's also written down here. …"_

" _Is that my psyche eval?" he interjected. TI stood up and locked eyes with Casey._

 _For T.I., he always considered himself an intimidating figure so much so that people have a tendency to move out and/or clear a pathway knowing his reputation. He's without a doubt an alpha. Unfortunately, he didn't get that vibe from the guy who stood in front him and judging by the way he wasn't impressed at all by him he too was an alpha as well. His concentration on said alpha that was standing in front of him was subsequently broken by the sound of a closing file._

" _My name is Major John Casey and I'm recruiting you to be part of my team."_

" _Do I have a choice?" questioned T.I. who flexed in front of Casey._

" _Negative." he softly grunted._

 _In that instance, T.I. clearly saw by the look in the Major's eyes he wasn't backing down any time soon. Also, the fact that the answer he gave to him wasn't the right one as well. However, he's the stubborn type who when push comes to shove will not let anyone back him into a corner he thinks to himself. In that moment, he briefly glanced at the rather large blue mat to his right then returned his attention to Casey expressing a bit of a smirk._

" _I'll join your team…" he paused then continues on. "…IF you can put me down." T.I. added pointing to the blue mat off to his right. "If not, you can get your ass out of here and I can go back to doing what I was doing."_

" _That's it?"_

" _Yeah."_

 _For T.I., the results didn't turn out in his favor as he recalled. He remembered making the first move head on but Casey_ _anticipated it by ducking to avoid the right and left cross he threw. Yet he was able to get a spinning left back kick to the Major's gut. Unfortunately, he recovered as he went in for attack and pounded 3 solid upper cut palm thrusts to his chest then right cross of his own. The feeling of his fist on his jaw jarred him for a brief second and made such significant impact that it caused T.I. to stumble back a bit but not so much that it completely overwhelmed him. It wouldn't be long before he quickly recovered by shaking it off then went on the attack once again letting out a feral like growl._

 _What he didn't anticipate was Casey bending down then went in on a mid-torso bear hug on him and latched on tightly. It left him in a precarious position to say the least as he would be lifted up in the air, which had never been done to him since young training days. In any case, his instincts kicked in and immediately raised both seemingly massive, muscular tattooed arms, locks both hands together, then strikes down 3 hard double axe handle blows to Casey's back causing him to momentarily lose his grip. It's enough of a lost grip that he followed it by bending down and wrapping both arms around his stomach area all-the-while giving off a considerably intensified expression on his noticeably sweaty face._

 _What happened next was T.I. lifting Casey then flipping him into a professional wrestling type power bomb of sorts. As he was about to finish him off by dropping him to the mat in hopes of knocking him out, he found himself on the receiving end up of several downward right elbow strikes by the equally large individual who was trying to recruit him to be on his team. It stunned T.I. causing him to fall on his back and the next thing he knew he got flipped on his stomach. He was now locked in a triangle choke hold and Casey was doing everything in his power to put him to sleep._

 _In his mind, it didn't bode well for him since he was lifting weights just before this but he didn't making any kind of excuses. He vividly recalled using every bit of strength to lift Casey in the air much to the Major's surprise. Yet, the surprise was completely on him because the seemingly hulking man he was tangling with at the time released the hold on his right arm and around his leg that were around his head. Casey then showed him his quick agility on his part for a big man himself as if he were a damn spider monkey or something. In a matter of what seemed like seconds, Casey positioned himself behind then fell backwards on the mat with him now underneath. It not long after that he tightly wrapped and locked his legs around his waist._

 _T.I. felt Casey cinching in a combination sleeper/choke hold and used all the strength he can muster to rear back on his own neck. It wasn't a good feeling at all from where he was positioned as heard the man behind him growling as if he's not letting go no matter what. As much as he struggled to get out of the hold, he found himself losing consciousness to the point where it went completely black. He would be woken up a few moments later by one of the patrons of the gym who nervously handed him the following note left for him:_

" _Welcome to the team. You'll be contacted soon."_

Casey bruised his ego on that particular day and even though he was promised a rematch it never happened. Why? He, along with Mackintosh and Packard, were betrayed by Casey after he chose obeying orders rather than taking the money that nobody would find missing even if they tried. To him, they would be in the wind and rich beyond belief. He's isn't and the blames rests on his shoulders.

XXX

The first meeting between the man presently sitting in the right front passenger seat and Casey certainly went off with a bag and quite literally I might add. While sitting there riding shotgun with Mackintosh to his left, he recalls how Casey made his presence known while he was having fun doing some target practice at an outdoor firing range somewhere in the desert. A secluded place where not too many people know about it and where an individual can take the pleasure of shooting to their heart's content.

 _After taking moment to express a flirtatious smirk, he gave a wink to an attractive woman to his left seen through the somewhat clear goggle glasses. It's not long after the weapons expert took his position and then briefly adjusted the ear protection. He then readied himself with his weapon, which is a Heckler-Koch G36 assault rifle. It was a rather a scorcher of an afternoon and instead of using compact mode he's used commando assault mode. He took a quick breathe and then fired away leading a mixture of bullet casings along with remnants of smoke to spread out._

 _It didn't take long for him to finish evident by the sound of the click signifying an empty cartridge clip. Afterwards, he glanced over to his left expressing another flirty smirk once again and at the same time reached for a full clip with his right hand. Unfortunately, what he grabbed at air causing him to turn his head in that location._

 _When he does, he found his clip was gone and was about to express an expletive under his breathe when he noticed from his peripheral vision a rather large man standing just off a bit behind his right shoulder. From his quick assessment, he was clearly a government agent by look, posture and stance. What he then noticed was the aforementioned missing clip that he was trying to reach for being held in the man's left hand. His focus on the clip then averted to the thick manila folder file held in the other hand causing him to slightly tilt his head to the right._

 _A faint smirk was expressed in the corner of his lips as he turned around locking eyes with the man standing a few feet in front of him. "How much am I getting?" he asked removing his ear protection letting it hang around his neck._

" _Excuse me?" grunted Casey._

 _Packard shook his head then briefly turned to the woman who is now on his right. After lifting his finger giving her the proverbial nonverbal sign for wait, he stepped forward to where he was a foot away and face to face with the man still holding out the clip for him to get. "I'm assuming it's for a mission. Am I right?"_

" _Affirmative. Major John Casey and I'm putting together a team."_

" _Location?"_

" _Iran."_

" _How long?"_

" _As long as it takes."_

 _Packard nodded as the smirk slowly turns into a smile. He takes the full clip from Casey, slipped it into the weapon's slot and then locked it in hitting the bottom end with his right palm. Afterwards, he slid back the handle to chamber a bullet, which all happened in one fell swoop. He stared at Casey for second then returned to his original position with his attention back at the attractive female who he was flirting with._

" _Hey, what's…"_

 _Unfortunately, he didn't get to finish his sentence as Casey stepped into view in front of him and effectively ruined his chances at potentially getting laid. He witnessed Casey then glance behind him but doesn't say anything. Packard watched as the attractive woman smile turn into a bit of fear as she backed away inevitably turning around to walk off._

" _Hey man…" responded a miffed Packard. "…you just cock blocked me." He shook his head briefly raising his right arm to the side._

 _In that instance, Packard notices Casey open the manila file folder and then hears him speak up. "Carter Packard. Expertise in special weapons. You've also been regarded by your former teammates as a smooth talker."_

" _It comes in handy in dicey situations…" he said with a sly grin. "…and with the ladies."_

 _Casey doesn't say a word as he continued on. "It says you were demoted in rank because you slept with a team leader's wife."_

 _Packard's right brow arched up then expressed soft laughter after hearing that. "It was actually his girlfriend. Hot. Fine from head to toe." he grinned raising his eyebrows up and down. "You had to be there." he explained shrugging his shoulders. After saying that, he put the ear protection back into place and fired off a few rounds before returning his attention back to Casey. "Oh, for the record…" he nodded expressing an arrogant smile towards the hulking again. "…she flirted with me so I wasn't at fault." he stated pointing to himself._

" _Don't care. Duty calls."_

" _You might have guessed I've been deemed not much of a team player." he pauses. " Casey is it? So answer my question…" he firmly stated leaning back a bit. "…do I get paid for this?"_

" _You get paid with the satisfaction that you're doing this for the greater good of the country."_

" _Not sold. What else you got Casey?" he added. He remembers that he was about to return his attention back to firing off the remaining rounds he has left in his clip when he suddenly felt a hand tightly grip his forearm._

" _This is non-negotiable. My orders come from high up." he grunted._

 _In that moment, Packard locked eye to eye with Casey. His briefly glanced down at his weapon then up at the man who impeded him from shooting. The tense situation could certainly be cut between the two of them. Fortunately, it didn't last long as Packard broke with a smile then takes a step back. "Let's settle this like men." he suggested briefly glancing to his right._

" _Pick your poison." Casey gruffly stated._

 _Packard treated it like a duel and he felt he would come out of this on the winning end. As he stood there face to face with Casey he once again expressed an arrogant smile towards him. After taking the moment to rake the visible grey locks within his salt and pepper hair, he spoke up. "All right Casey, the weapon of choice. L115A3 British sniper rifle." he said patting the top of it. "Think you can handle it?"_

 _Casey simply responded with an annoyed and agitated grunt. "Stakes?"_

" _One target. One shot. 1000 yards. Roughly 1 kilometer away. I hit it and I find that fine piece of ass you scared off. Thanks by the way._

 _Packard saw a bit of smirk on Casey face after he said that. He continued on. "If you win…" he paused letting the smile fade. "…I'm in. Oh, and to make it fair I asked 2 spotters to help out. One will be here…" he paused pointing out into the distance. "…the other standing over by the target. Deal?_

" _Ladies first." Casey grunted._

 _In that moment, he remembered he could have taken what Casey said as simple mind games. That or it may be the fact he was thrown off at the challenge and he took the time to psyche himself up. He chose the latter. His thoughts concerning the matter were broken by the sound of spotter #2's voice over the walkie talkie._

" _I'm set."_

 _It's at the point spotter 2 looked at both men. "Gentlemen." he nodded direction their attention towards the L115A3 set up on the ground._

 _Packard confidently nodded at Casey then readies himself into position with ear protection. While lying there he took his time as he looks into the scope. He then made a few adjustments on the scope using the circular dope and dial. Once he felt he had corrected his adjustment while studying the wind speed he began taking a few breathes. He recalled on his very last breath he paused for at 3 seconds then took his shot._

 _The squeeze of the trigger as he remembers it was calm and steady instead of erratic and jerky. He continued pressing the trigger slowly until he felt it would no longer go back instead of immediately releasing it. A mistake that rookie snipers make when they first start off. In any case, he knows it was an excellent shot for him because of the recoil as it came straight back into him. Also the scope itself fell right back on the target. The end result after waiting a few moments: bullseye._

 _After hearing that from spotter #2 on spotter #1's walkie he expressed a wide, confident smile. He pushed himself up into a standing position with noticeable swag clearly visible by his body language as he lets the ear protection hang around his neck. At that point, only 2 words come to mind as he looked at Casey._

" _Good luck."_

 _Packard stood there as he Casey went through the seemingly same walkthrough as he did and in a matter of moments a single shot rang out. Now, instead of lying there waiting for the results, he watched as Casey stood up and didn't bother to brush himself off. He thought at the moment he may have missed but it was unclear because he has unreadable poker face. His concentration is broken by the voice of the spotter #2 on spotter #1's walkie._

" _Miss."_

 _In that instance, Packard snickers and express a bit of laugh knowing he won. "You heard the man." he added. The special weapons expert leaned back arrogantly with both arms up at his side._

 _While standing there, Packard notices Casey's expression not change at all as he turned his attention to spotter #1. "Check the target." he heard the government agent say._

" _Sir?"_

" _Check…" he repeated with a growl. "…the target."_

 _Packard shakes his head as he glances from Casey to spotter #1. "Check it."_

 _Spotter #1 nodded in acknowledgement."Re-check target."_

" _Repeat to confirm. Over"_

" _Re-check target."_

 _The silence is deafening despite the faint sound of the win all around them. Packard stood there as Casey continued to lock his eyes on him, which made him somewhat uneasy as he recalled. The silence would thankfully be broken the spotter #2's voice coming over the spotter #1's walkie. "Bullet #2 is behind #1. Perfect shot. In that moment, Packard is rendered speechless as he turns his head to see Casey has walked off with manila file folder in hand. His concentration broke by the sound of spotter #1's voice._

" _I call that a win. Hell of a shot."_

Those 4 words were a haunting echoing reminder on that day as Casey dropped the mic on him. He played him like a rookie on his first day of training. He should have gone with his initial gut instinct that he was playing mind games. Nobody in the world could have made that shot expect him. It's that particular that causes him to shake his head slightly. In any case, it would be 2 days later that Casey contacted him thus completing the team unbeknownst to him.

XXX

Casey briefly glances up at the rear view mirror of his Crown Vic checking to see if anyone is following behind him. For the past hour and 45 minutes he hasn't spotted or noticed anyone except the occasional car coming from the opposite direction. Granted, even though he doesn't spot a suspicious vehicle he is weary of one knowing that his heightened state of awareness, especially with his former teammates looking for retribution.

To him, they'll make their presence known when the time is right and only when the time is right he thinks to himself. It's simply military strategy and each meticulous move made brings them potentially closer to their goal. Fortunately, he's a patient guy and not to mention playing the game of chess while they are most likely playing checkers. His concentration on any suspicious vehicles behind him is then averted to the bearded little man sitting in the back seat.

The same bearded man who is visibly sleeping evident by the right side of his face pressed up against the passenger side window. Also, his mouth open with noticeable drool coming out tells him he's in some deep sleep right now. He wonders if the moron will turn out to be a team player in regards to cooperating in how he does outdoor camping. True, his idea of roughing it in the wilderness may not line with his and that's litmus test right there he thinks to himself.

While sitting there behind the wheel and glancing at him in the rear view mirror every so often he can't help but think that he has the perfect opportunity to just eject him from the back seat of the car with just a push of the button. Unfortunately, as much as he wants to he has the urge to just for his own twisted self-gratification he resists and continues driving.

After a while, he makes a right turn and in doing so Morgan's body falls over causing him to hit the left side of his face on the cooler much to Casey's amusement. The impact of the hit leads his daughter's boyfriend to yelp out in pain causing a slight smirk to be expressed by the veteran government agent. To add insult to injury, Casey suddenly stomps on the breaks leading Morgan to launch face first against the back of the front seat. Once again, it leads Chuck's hetero life partner to yelp in pain once again covering his face much to his delight. As the former Buy More green shirt is recovering from his painful ordeal, he hears Casey's gravelly voice.

" _Wake up sleeping beauty. We're here."_

After taking a moment to check if his nose is bleeding and whether or not his face has been completely rearranged, he opens the doors and stumbles out. Luckily, he grabs on to the passenger side door in order to not fall to the ground completely. Once he's stands straight up and looks around he speaks up with a questionably, confused look on his face.

"Where?" he asked taking a moment to shake out the cobwebs. Morgan then turns his attention to Casey standing on the other side of his Crown Vic with both arms on top of the roof.

" _Buckeye Flats_. Time to see if you're _truly a man_ Grimes." Casey grunted expressing a sinister smirk.

XXX

* * *

 _ **NOTE: SORRY FOR THE DELAY! HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE CHAPTER AND I'LL MAKE SURE TO POST ANOTHER CHAPTER SOON! PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	8. 3 Points Of View

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, all 3 former members of Casey's team individually reminisce on how they were recruited to the team. Though it was different completely different experience for each one of them, the end result had them brought together to the point where they would end on the mission to Iran that would change their lives forever. This chapter focuses on 3 different views concerning one particular situation and each of them view it from their perspective. What happens? How is Tom Hanks and Wilson from the movie Castaway involved? Read and find out if! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **3 Points of View**

XXX

Buckeye Flats. It's nearly 3 hours away from Los Angeles. However, the campground itself is located in Sequoia National Park in the heart of the Sierra Foothills. An awe inspiring and majestic view if you're able to fully take in the wondrous scenery in the morning. Unfortunately, Casey and Morgan arrived at night so visibility was considerably difficult. Granted, they were able to make it their designated base to set up camp despite the long trek on the Paradise Creek Trail starting from where Casey parked to where they are now.

Of course, the grizzled government agent would have rather traveled without alerting anyone of their presence but that didn't quite happen. What _did_ happen was the moment they started heading up the Paradise Creek trail his daughter's moron of a boyfriend and potential fiancé just had to make things tremendously difficult by making so much sound mainly from the cooler being lugged behind him. The noise could quite literally wake the dead.

To him, it's like taking a 3-year-old with him and doesn't know out to act. Truth be told it's not far from it being that Grimes is considered to a man child just like his even more man like best friend. In that moment, he thanked the man above that the both of them didn't come or he have made them 2 bodies instead of 1 possibly disappear never to be seen or heard from again. As much as he wanted to stop and turn around in order throw it off to the side he let it go for now. Why? The food plain and simple.

True, he was able to somewhat tolerate the noise he was making, especially knowing they would be traveling for quite some time and in semi-darkness no less. What he learned through his research is that the Sierra Foothills consisted of lower elevations where the grassy valley floor gives way to granite peeks. So in other words, watch your step because one wrong move and you'll potentially twist a leg and ankle or worse…break it. This particular bit of information wasn't something Morgan didn't know and it lead to him every so often stumbling forward to where he bumped into his potential father-in-law.

What made the journey towards their intended location even more annoying was that the little bearded bastard needed to take breaks every so often due to how much he was carrying. In his mind, he considered Morgan an absolute lightweight when it came to being able to carry a heavy load. Of course, as a proud marine he carried at least double to the weight when it came to the gear that was strapped to his back and then some.

He knows the man who avoided manual labor like the plague during his time at Buy More wouldn't be able to withstand 60-100 pounds of gear. That's not including weapons and batteries. For him, it's a piece of cake as he gradually became immune to the heavy load shouldered over months of training, duty, and not to mention missions as well. Granted, some solders would suffer chronic back and/or neck pain, as well as muscled strain but no Colonel John Casey.

He saw it as a challenge that he absolutely conquered. He thoroughly embraced because that's the kind of man he is. If he had him at boot camp, he would so enjoy the pure pleasure of being able to break him to the point where he started crying like a little girl. If that were to happen, it would wholeheartedly prove that Alex chose the wrong guy once and for all. Yet, knowing Bartowski's moronic best friend wouldn't give up, especially if it meant doing it for his daughter in order to prove he is worthy of her.

The noise made behind him he could somewhat tolerate What he truly agitated him was that he would every so often bumping into him because he was tailing so close. Why? The reason is the sound of wildlife heard either in the distance or in the relative vicinity of there they are trekking on the Paradise Creek Trail. For Casey, he's truly the type of guy to do his research when it comes to any sort of mission and going camping to rough it is included.

He would be well prepared for mountainous terrain wearing hiking boots unlike Grimes wearing who sported sneakers. No protection or sturdy traction whatsoever if needed. In any case, if it not the terrain it would potentially be the number of wildlife frequently seen or heard in the area. Wildlife such as the American Black Bear, mule deer, bobcats, and not to mention numerous species of birds. If push comes to shove and he needs some much needed entertainment for his own sake he'll use that information in his favor to torture Grimes.

Speak of Morgan grimes, Casey sees him stumbling out from the darkened wooded area and into the illuminated camping area coming from 2 camp lanterns that the bearded wonder brought with him. According to him, _you can't have enough light for roughing it._ As he's stumbling forward, he's cradling from underneath several pieces of sticks and wood inevitably dropping a piece or two to the side, as well as behind him.

In Morgan like fashion, the NSA agent clearly witnesses him spin around then step to the side and then turn around as if he's going to pick them up. In his mind, it's absolutely pathetic sight to see as if he's watching an old black and white Charlie Chaplin movie in which he drops his hat then tries to pick it up. It's a comedic gag that amuses him and not much on television amuses him besides the movies Full Metal Jacket and Firefly, which Bartowski somehow roped him into watching.

In that instance, he's about to bark at him as usual when he suddenly drops the mixture of sticks and wood down into pile in front of a what looks to be a makeshift campfire. Afterwards, he scurries around picking up what he dropped behind and off to the side inevitably tosses them into the rest of the pile.

"Got the wood like you said." wondered Morgan wiping the dirt from his hand. Afterwards, wiping them again down the sides of his pants.

"Great. _At least_ you managed that part idiot."

"So what's next?

A smirk is expressed by Casey. "Congratulations Grimes…" he softly growled. He takes out a cigar from his shift pocket then a lighter from one of his right side pants pockets. "…time to face you _first challenge_." he added flicking the lighter.

" _What_ challenge?"

"You're going to light the campfire." he firmly stated lighting up a cigar in his mouth

"Awesome." he replied. He sticks his left hand out making his way around the mixture of pile and sticks, as well as the makeshift campfire. "Can I use the lighter?"

Instead of handing over the lighter, Casey sticks it back in one of the right side pants pockets. After taking a few pleasurable puffs of his cigar, the hulking military veteran then takes a moment to blow the smoke up at Morgan. After hearing him cough for a few seconds, he expresses another smirk towards his daughter's beau. "Nope. _Find a way_ to light it." Casey instantly sees Morgan's eyes go completely wide. "Have at it Grimes. _That's_ your _first challenge_." he added taking a few more puffs of his cigar.

XXX

 **Casey's Point of View**

A sense of twisted satisfaction in the form of a smirk is expressed by Casey as he sits there peering up at Morgan. While doing so, he places the cigar he just lit moments ago into his mouth inevitably clinching it between his jowls. After taking in a few puffs then releasing it to where it immerses into a cloud surrounding his daughter's potential fiancé it gradually dissipates. It's not long before the protective 4th member of Team Chuck cross his arms and glares at the man standing in front of him.

"Get on it with moron. I don't have _all day_." Casey barked with amused annoyance.

Upon saying that, the proud marine watches as Morgan jumps back from being momentarily dumbfounded but the first challenge given to him. _Expected the unexpected_. _Throw someone completely off balance and you'll find out what they're made of. Casey's Rules_. One of many he has used over the years as a soldier and not to mention as an instructor he thinks to himself. In any case, his brief thought process is subsequently broken by the scene of Morgan with his back to him suddenly scrambling side to side on the other side of the make shift camp fire.

Casey is about to yell at him again when the little bearded bastard suddenly stops and stands there for momentarily. While standing there, he faintly hears Morgan mumbling something but can't quite clearly hear what he's saying. The only thing he can make is a name causing him to be utterly confused, which is nothing new to him when it involved the other dumb half of the dumbass duo.

" _Is he mumbling something about Tom Hanks?"_ he faintly muttered under his breath.

His intense concentration on Morgan is once again suddenly broken as the man in question spins around staring right at him.

"Casey, can I _borrow_ your army knife?"

In response, Casey right eyebrow arches concerning that particular request. To him, it would most definitely stupid to hand a knife to Morgan Grimes knowing how much of a clumsy idiot this fool truly is. As a matter of fact, if it a giant grizzly were to appear right now and attack the both of them to the point where he got injured he wouldn't for the life of him hand him his knife. Why? He would probably stab himself thus killing himself and him in the process.

In that instance, the trained sniper takes out the cigar from between his teeth and answers him. "You mean my _tactical_ knife?" growled Casey. "Are you _man enough_ to use it Grimes?"

A clearly confused and perplexed expression is seen on Morgan's face by Casey who continues to stare down the former Buy More green shirt. However, he witnesses him quickly snap out of it by shaking his head then speaks up. "I just need it to sharpen a stick." Once again Casey is silent leading to another glaring stare down. "I'll give it _right back_ big guy! I promise." he added in a pleading manner.

There is a momentary pause on Casey's part knowing that what he's about to do goes against everything that he believes will happen if done. It's not long before the man who made a killing as a top seller of Beastmaster grills for Buy More reaches behind him with his right hand and takes out his concealed tactical knife. The length of it nearly the length of Casey's forearm.

The look on Morgan's face is clearly noticeable from where Casey is sitting. He's about to say something when Morgan speaks up once again. "Awesome. Are you a _Highlander_?"

In that moment, Casey would usually give the same response whenever something stupid comes out of Morgan's mouth. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the time for it and keeps it moving forward as he reaches out to hand him his knife with the handle pointing towards Morgan. "Hurry up and _use it_. _Don't_ make me regret it."

"Thanks big guy." he said giving a quick salute to him.

 _I already regret the decision._ It's what Casey instantly though as he witnessed the bumbling moronic idiot take his knife then try to salute him while holding the knife. The same knife that nearly cutting the top of his head. After shaking his head and taking a few more puffs of his cigar, he keenly observes and watches Morgan kneeling on the other side of the make shift camp fire. He's intently concentrating on one of the thick sticks that he picked from the pile of sticks set in front of the make shift camp fire.

For whatever ever reason every so often Morgan would briefly lift his head then look at him while sharpening the end with the tactical knife he provided him. He has also noticed that when Morgan does lift his head the point he's about to say something but stops himself. To him, it's growing increasingly annoying so much so that he if he does it one more time he's going to go over there, grab the knife, and sharpen down his scraggily beard right down to the white meat.

His growing anger would suddenly subside when he suddenly notices Morgan reaching for another piece of wood that seemingly flat that's off to the side. He flips it over exposing the inner wood then breaks it half. Afterwards, he takes a moment to use the tactical knife in order to dig a small hole of sorts but not so deep either so the air doesn't blow it out. Once the hole is just how he likes it he sticks the knife in the ground and continues concentrating on what's below him.

For Casey, the thought of Morgan actually pulling off his first challenge would be a stroke of dumb luck or an absolute miracle he thinks to himself. In any case, he continues to intently observe what he's doing and watches Morgan suddenly pop up like a gopher looking around then behind. After a few moments, a look of disappointment is expressed on his face but quickly fades away and his replaced but what seems to be a hopeful smile located in his direction.

In that moment, Casey watches as he pushes himself into a standing position and doesn't bother cleaning off his points. Instead, he makes his way over to where he's seated but doesn't say a word. All he does, is inspect what's below/somewhat underneath the log he's sitting on…moss. Once he's got a handful of the aforementioned moss, he briefly holds up for him to see leading the NSA Agent to give an unimpressed look on his face.

Undaunted, Morgan quickly returns to the location he left from putting all his focus on what he's been challenged to do. At this point, Casey hasn't budged one iota as his eyes are locked on Morgan who has placed the moss between the pieces of wood. In doing so, he then uses the sharped end of the stick and rubs in a repetitive motion in order to get some heated friction. In military vet's eyes he can be very determined when he sets his mind on something he thinks to himself.

His focus on Morgan is suddenly broken when he hears a sound that causes the grizzled veteran to furrow his eyebrows. What he immediately notices when he leans over to his right is a faint plume of smoke rising from where he is.

After a few moments he sees Chuck's right hand man not only standing up with the moss on fire between the pieces of wood he's been tirelessly working on, but hears him screaming out loud like the bearded clown that he is one word. _"FIIIIREEE!"_

It wouldn't be long before he sticks it into the make shift camp fire along with a number of sticks that he breaks. At the same time, he adds more of the moss that he is able to find and gather around their camp site. For Casey, he hasn't broken his expression at all knowing full well that Morgan is dancing around the flames of the campfire he made while twirling his shirt around above his head. As he does, he's continues to scream his success like an absolute shirtless idiot leading Casey to simply take out his cigar from between his teeth.

Once he does, he puts it out so that he'll be able to smoke it again later. Afterwards, he sticks into his shirt pocket then stands up. When he does Morgan immediately stops repeating fire along with the incoherent chanting type celebration waiting for some kind of recognition for his successful victory.

Casey doesn't say anything as he walks forward making his around the now flaming campfire. He then stops bends down and picks up his tactical knife from the handle then wipes the blade against his left pant leg. He takes a moment to inspect it then places it behind. What he does next, is turn around and walks towards his tent.

"You're _next challenge_ is _tomorrow._ " It's all that Casey says as he turns around and heads into his tent. As he zips it up, he can still hear Morgan celebrating and repeating the word " _fire_ " but in a quieter tone of voice.

XXX

 **Morgan's Point of View**

"Get on it with moron. I don't have _all day._ "

Morgan immediately snaps out of his shock of disbelief after Casey just announced the first challenge causing him to jump back. A challenge in which he has to light the fire for the make shift campfire located behind him. In his mind, he doesn't want to waste any time and needs to jump into action so as to avoid getting completely chewed out by his future father-in-law. True, he's been used to it over the years but it will be doubly challenging if or in this case when he becomes his son-in-law.

It's that particular thought that leads him to turn around and quickly make his way to the other side of the make shift camp fire that hasn't been lit yet. He first starts out heading left then stops asking a very important question involving Casey's challenge. _How am I going to pull this off?_ He shakes his reaching up to stroke his beard with his right hand. Afterwards, he quickly shuffles over to the right but this time reaching up with left hand to rub the top of his head as he's stroking his beard. The back and forth is brief then suddenly stops in the middle once again. _WWTHD?_

" _What would Tom Hanks do?"_ he faintly muttered to himself.

He stands momentarily then an idea comes to mind evident by the sudden widening of his eyes. In that instance, he spins around looking directly at Casey who is just glaring at him. "Casey, can I _borrow_ your army knife?"

To him, it's a big gamble asking to use something of the big guy's knowing how particular he is when it comes to his stuff. He vividly remembers being threatened with verbal and physical harm if he ever went near and/or moved his bonsai tree in his apartment. So, asking to borrow something he treats with as much care as his car Vera is most definitely risky he thinks to himself.

"You mean my _tactical_ knife?" growled Casey. "Are you _man enough_ to use it Grimes?"

 _Army. Tactical. What's the difference?_ Any knife would do he thinks to himself _. Hell, Crocodile Dundee's knife would do fine. That would be awesome if he Casey did have a Dundee style knife and he let me borrow it. Wishful thinking. Hey, it doesn't hurt to at least ask if he actually has that knife on him but quickly shakes that though from his mind._

"I just need it to sharpen a stick. I'll give it _right back_ big guy! I promise." he added in a pleading manner.

The way he said that, he felt like a kid talking to his mom in order to get permission to use something very dangerous. Granted, he's used a knife before even though they have been mainly used for cutting steaks or potatoes. He continues to stand there in front of Casey trying to avoid at all cost rocking back and forth with his feet, which so far he's been successful at.

In any case, the silence Casey is giving off is absolutely deafening but it would suddenly stop. Why? Casey actually handing over his tactical knife to him. Also, the fact that it appeared out of nowhere was completely awesome he thinks to himself. In a Connor or Duncan McCleod of the Clan McCleod way.

"Awesome. Are you a _Highlander_?"

"Hurry up and _use it_. _Don't_ make me regret it."

"Thanks big guy." he said giving a quick salute to him.

 _I hope he didn't see that?_ I nearly scalped myself. Thankfully, it just grazed the tip of the hair and nothing more. It wouldn't have been awesome if I cut my head open because I briefly forgot I had a tactical knife in my hand when I went to give Casey a salute. His thought process then quickly shifts to operation fire mode whereby recalling what Tom Hanks did in the fire scene from the movie Castaway.

After reaching over and grabbing a somewhat thick stick from the stick pile, he uses the tactical knight to sharpening the end of it. It takes a few moments and while doing so he lifts his head to look up at Casey who still locked on him with his glaring stare. Granted, it's completely unnerving and puts a tremendous amount of pressure on him but at the same time it pushes him to prove he can actually pull it off. In that moment, he wants to say that he's about ready to light it up but decide against it. So, he lowers his head to concentrate on sharpening the stick again.

Suddenly, something dawns on him to the point he cracks a bit of a smile that Casey doesn't see since his head is lowered. _If I'm Tom Hanks in this scenario trying to make fire, then Casey is Wilson._ It's that specific that in which, Morgan lifts his head to look up all-the-while restraining himself from not expressing a wide smile or laugh for that matter. Instead, he opens his mouth to quickly exhale then continues on to sharpening the end of the stick.

For the bearded movie aficionado, he can't help but compare Casey to the volleyball Wilson. They're both silent and not to mention their presence makes a big difference despite not saying much or anything at all. Yet, the self-proclaimed right hand man to Chuck Bartowski knows if he ever got separated from _his_ Wilson he would completely bummed out too.

His thoughts concerning Casey as Wilson abruptly end when hen he feels he has enough of a point that's considered not too pointy. Afterwards, he takes another scan in front of him for something then suddenly spots it then leans forward reaching into the not yet campfire for a piece of flat wood that's been split in half.

What he does next is flip it over exposing the inner wood then breaks it half. Of course, if it were an entirely different situation he would have used his head and expressed a Bruce Lee sound while doing it. That's what he would have done but not right now knowing full well Casey has his eyes locked on him. Once he has the wood in half, he digs a not so small hole with Casey's tactical knife so the air doesn't get in the way of lighting the moss. _Thank you Tom Hanks._

Morgan then sticks the knife in the ground with the handle facing up and continues concentrating on what's below him. After a few moments or so he suddenly pops up in order to look around then turns behind him in order to find some moss that was very pivotal in helping Tom Hank's character light the fire. After scanning around for a few moments, he can't help but feel a sense of disappointment. However, it wouldn't last long as he suddenly spots some moss where Casey is sitting on or in this case underneath what he's sitting on.

With renewed vigor, Morgan pushes himself up into a standing position. He doesn't dust his pant legs off and makes his way over to where Casey is sitting. After approaching him, his focus is on the moss that sticking out from under the log the NSA Agent is sitting on. Morgan reaches down and grabs a handful and holds up to Casey for him to see, which seemingly doesn't impress him much at all.

In response, Morgan simply shrugs his shoulders and quickly heads back to hopefully make fire. Once he has all the items in place with the moss in between the split wood, he makes sure it firmly placed over the hole he dug up with the tactical knife. Afterwards, he rubs in a repetitive motion back and forth the sharpened end of the stick with determination on his face against the stick hoping to get some friction going. In his mind, he knows it's going to work or if it doesn't he'll continue to try until his arms fall off.

" _Come on"_ he faintly mutters to himself.

It seems like forever for Morgan and the continued repetitive motion is causing his arms, as well as his forearms to burn. To him, he's come so far to fail no and will not stop till he get some kind of results even if it's just a little spark of something. As soon as he the thinks that, a small billow of smoke forms causing his mouth to gape open. Fortunately, he forces himself to not let his overall surprise get the better of him and continues on his efforts by carefully blowing into to.

For Morgan, the unthinkable happens as he lifts with victorious accomplishment yelling out one word. _"FIIIIREEE!"_

 _I did it! I did it! Crap, I did it. What do I do now?_ It didn't take long for Morgan to realize there's an unlit campfire right next to him so he quickly and not to mention carefully places the lighted piece of wood into it. It would be only a matter of time before he several sticks of the wood he collected into the fire but not before breaking them first. While standing there, he can't help but feel awesome for what he just did to the point where he suddenly takes off his shift and starts twirling over his head as he continues to repeat "fire" over and over again.

His celebration would immediately when he suddenly sees Casey standing up. Morgan watches him walking towards and stopping where he was busy trying to make fire, which he succeeded in doing. Alex McHugh's fiancé continues to watch as his soon to be father in law retrieves his tactical knife inevitably placing it behind him like an immortal highlander would. Afterwards, Morgan visually follows him back to his tent but not before telling him on last thing.

"You're _next challenge_ is _tomorrow._ "

For Morgan, a good job moron would have sufficed but he'll take it he thinks to himself. It's that thought that causes him to smile and raise both hands clutched in victory. As he continues celebrating by twirling his shirt over his head, he quietly shouts the word "fire" and begins dancing around it in his own awesome way.

XXX

 **T.I., Mackintosh, and Packard's Point of View**

The 3 former members of Casey's team have been stealthily concealed in the darkness of the woods near the vicinity of their once team leader's base camp. True, they had the opportunity to snatch and grab Morgan as he has collecting pieces of wood but they didn't. The call was made by Packard and in his mind there were be a perfect time and place to capture the small bearded man. For right now they're observing what's unfolding before their eyes as each of them are scattered in certain areas and communication using coms.

" _What's going on with the short guy? Is having a seizure?_

" _No clue T.I."_ Mackintosh answered back _. "Casey looks pissed off as usual. Do you think he knows we're here?"_

There is brief silence then Packard chimes in _. "Maybe. Maybe not."_

" _I still say we should have grabbed the runt with the beard."_

" _I'm with the big guy on this."_

" _Patience fellas. Now isn't the time."_

The sound of frustrated annoyance can be faintly heard within the coms. The source…T.I. It wouldn't be long before Mackintosh pipes up again.

" _Casey just handed the small guy his tactical knife."_

" _Why?"_

" _What's that little guy doing now?_

" _It kind looks like…"_ T.I.

" _Yeah I know. Well, if he is he knows he'll go blind if he continues to do it."_

In that instance, Packard speaks up. _"Knock it off you two._ _Besides, nothing wrong about relieving stress when you can._

" _You should know Pac."_

" _Takes one to know one…"_ Packard retorted _. "…another one."_

" _Are you guy talking about me?"_ T.I. angrily inquired.

The sounds of amused chuckles can be heard but that would quickly stop as Mackintosh speaks up once again. _"Wait. This looks familiar for some reason. Hey, I know what he's doing."_

" _Spill."_ Packard insisted.

" _Yeah, tell us."_

" _Have any of you seen the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks?"_

" _No." T.I. answered._

" _Sorta. I was on a date with this chick and…"_

" _Got it Pac. You got lucky."_ He's briefly silent then continues on. " _The little guy is trying to get a fire going."_ Mackintosh added.

" _100 bucks says he won't be able to do it." T.I. stated._

" _I like fire. I say he'll pull it off. How about you Pac. You in?"_

Once again there's a brief silence then Packard chimes. " _Put me down for a complete fail on the bearded short guy._ "

After watching for what seems like forever all three men watch and hear the following word being screamed out. " _FIIIIREE!_ "

" _Guess I won $300 bucks."_

" _Shit!"_

" _Guess the little proved me wrong."_ After a few moments of continuing to watch the celebration, the see Casey disappearing into his tent. _"All right. Fall back to base camp and we'll figure out our next plan tomorrow."_

" _Copy that."_

" _Affirmative."_

XXX

* * *

 _ **NOTE: THIS WAS A FUN CHAPTER TO WRITE! HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT AND I PROMISE ANOTHER CHAPTER WILL BE OUT REAL SOON! PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	9. Fish Out of Water

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Casey challenged Morgan to build a fire and miraculously he did with Casey's former teammates watching from a distance. Though it didn't really phase Casey it totally surprised Morgan who had the help of Tom Hanks on his side when it came to the movie Castaway. So, what's in store for Morgan this time around when it comes to the next challenge Casey has for him. Plus, how does it involve actors Tom Skerritt, Craig Sheffer, and Brad Pitt. Hint: It involves fish. So read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **Fish Out of Water**

 **XXX**

It's 4:55 in the morning in Buckeye Flats where Morgan and Casey are currently camped at. Of course, the two men are sleeping in separate tents for the safety and not to mention well-being of Chuck bearded best friend. Plus, the fact the proud marine knew that the little man child has habit of sleeping naked and that right there is just cause to sleep separately. Add to the fact that _if_ and there's a _big if_ they did share a tent he would find some way to build some kind of fortified wall in between the two of them for 2 reasons.

Reason #1 is to avoid any kind of physical contact mainly because Casey is big on personal space. Hell, just breathing a few feet away from him can lead to an all-out death glare growl from the military veteran. Now, when it comes to reason #2 it could very well lead to the NSA Agent gauging his own eyes out for not being able to un-see the pasty and not to mention hair body of his daughter's moronic tiny sasquatch of a man.

Granted, being a government agent and military solider he's seen things that could most definitely make any civilian seek professional help in regards to therapy. Things that are truly considered either questionable, spine tingling, and absolutely maddening to the point where it's so deeply embedded in one's own brain that it could very well push a normal human being to the brink of insanity. That or have that individual in question go completely over the edge. Fortunately, when it comes to Colonel John Casey he's close to what is considered normal that he'll every go to and the people who love/care about wouldn't have it any other way.

In any case, the surprising events of last evening in which Casey gave his potential son-in-law his first challenge and that was to build a campfire without the use of a lighter. For the grizzled military veteran, he fully expected the moron to fail at the first challenge due to his track record when it comes to fire.

True, when it comes to Morgan Grimes he and fire don't necessarily go hand in hand. In his mind, he wouldn't even trust the man holding a magnifying glass because he would somehow start a forest fire because that's how much of a moronic idiot Casey thinks of Morgan. Unfortunately, Chuck learned that lesson the hard way when he mistakenly put Morgan in charge of Whiz Kid Systems, Inc. several years ago for a mission involving the rescue of Sarah's late boss C.I.A. Director Langston Graham.

Needless to say, having the man child schedule an unwarranted and not to mention unneeded fire safety drill was stupidly irresponsible in hindsight of Chuck even though he did actually put his secretary Beverly Kim in charge. Plus, the fact it nearly cost his nerdy best friend his business from being burned to the ground. For Casey, he considered having a talk with Chuck concerning putting together Morgan insurance in case he doesn't have any other options but to put his bearded buddy in charge.

For anyone other than Morgan Grimes, it's most definitely viewed as a nightmare scenario if there ever was one if he were to put in charge ever again. Of course, he starts out with the absolute best of intentions in attempting and/or at least try to make a good impression, especially in the eyes of his best friend and not to mention boss one Charles Irving Bartowski. If it were any other person, he or she would be fired but since they've known each other since childhood there is certainly a strong bond there between the both of them.

A bonded brotherhood that even though is considerably strong it has been tremendously tested to the point where it has come close to breaking. Yet, their uniquely confusing and oftentimes weirdly complex, immature relationship somehow works for the two of them that continues to absolutely baffle everyone around them. Of course, their relationship comes under special circumstances as Morgan was there when Chuck's father Abraham Bartowski up and left his family leaving the former nerd herd leader completely devastated personally, as well as emotionally.

For the most part, Casey has never really understood their stupidly, annoying relationship over the years; but on the same token has a considerable sense of understanding on why the two of them are way they are. Although their individual upbringing is on total opposites of the family spectrum, they've both dealt with heavy life stuff that would inevitably cause them to either stay the same or completely adapt to another way of life and not to mention mindset.

Speaking of the aforementioned Morgan Grimes, he's currently sleeping his tent zipped up nice and snug in his sleeping bag. The events of last night's accomplishment of achieving Casey's challenge to start a fire without using anything except mother nature was certainly a confidence booster hence the shirtless victory dance around the fire. A confidence booster that he hopes gives him some kind of added bonus points involving getting his blessing to propose to Alex.

Of course, it was just the first challenge and in Casey's mind it was done by pure stupid luck along with the fact that in some weird way Tom Hanks was able to help. As much as the former Buy More salesman of Beastmaster grills wants to curse out the world renowned and certainly beloved actor he doesn't since he didn't do any wrong.

While continuing to warmly slumber away as best he can in his sleeping bag nearly zipped up to his head, a sound is briefly heard like a tent being zipped open. This causes Morgan to stir after being hearing the noise leading him to left his head and when he does he blinks several times in order to focus on the now opened portion of the tent. After a few seconds, he finally is able to focus and as he's about to say something he's suddenly pulled out of his tent causing Morgan to let out a bit of a girlish scream.

XXX

" _Get up Grimes_ …" growled Casey. "…and _don't_ bother getting out of that sleeping bag either. I _know_ you sleep naked." he added with a disgusted look on his face.

As Casey standing there with his arms crossed scowling down at what could possibly be his daughter's future husband waiting for any kind of response, Morgan is just now regaining full consciousness. "Oh thank God it's _you_ big guy!" he said with absolute relief in his voice. After briefly shaking his head to get fully focused and awake he speaks up again. "I'm wearing socks. _So_ , I'm _not really naked_ per say." A sheepish grin is expressed but that falls flat as he peers up at his future father-in-law.

A low but clearly audible grunt is heard leads Morgan to interpret that Casey irritated and doesn't really care. So, it's at that point the former Buy More green sheet tries to sit while still in the sleeping bag he's presently zipped up in. Unfortunately, the first two attempts fail in embarrassing fashion leading Casey to stand watching the entire situation unfold before his very eyes.

In his mind, he still has no earthly idea what his daughter sees in the furry little bastard. A furry little bastard who presently is looking like a fish out of water flopping on land desperately trying to get back in the water. If that doesn't represent Morgan Grimes as a whole in a fish out real life situation, he thinks to himself. A seemingly pathetic sight that he could just as easy eliminate with a snap of finger to put out of his misery for his own sake and not to mention sanity.

For Casey, he suddenly finding himself attaining some profound insight when it comes Morgan as a fish out of water pertaining to real life ala Buy More years. He was merely a guy who his whole life has just been a fish out of water flopping around and getting by just enough to live the way he wanted to.

For the most part and much to his surprise he was able to survive flopping around with the other fishes namely Jeff and Lester in the Buy More river bed full of unmotivated Salmon. A cesspool of flopping Salmon if there ever was one helmed by the big Salmon in charge Big Mike. In any case, when those three slacker Salmon got together they'd presumably get eaten alive in an instant by bears or end up in jail due to the charge of constant perverted, sexual harassment of the entire female species.

True, they lacked motivation in swimming upstream to reach for their highest potential. Yet, when it came to pulling off schemes that's when the motivation kicked in and they determined to pull it off even if it killed them. It's boggles the mind how Buy More was ever able to stay in business knowing full well all the Salmon working there were swimming downstream goofing off when they were costumers upstream needing help.

It's at this point Casey returns to his train of thought back to Morgan. A man who was able to narrowly avoid bodily harm and the threat of death at every turn but somehow end up getting baited and hooked by one Anna Wu. God bless that woman for trying to swim alongside with him and endure the immature, as well as asinine flopping that went on while they were in a relationship. When the news of their break up spread like wildfire, the only one not surprised by it was Morgan himself since everybody else were just waiting for it to happen.

Since then, Morgan has become a motivated and determined Salmon who left the Buy More river bed and made his home in Chuck's flourishing river bed of a business known as Whiz Kid Systems, Inc. A business in which he's swimming upstream for real this time alongside his long time best friend Chuck Bartowski and making a life not only for himself, but his baby girl as well.

It's that particular thought nearly brings a proud but smirk to the corner of his mouth. Unfortunately, that would suddenly fade as his focus suddenly averted to Morgan's third attempt at standing up is a complete success due to him rolling over onto his stomach. Afterwards, he starts contorting his body to where he manages to get himself into a standing position facing the other way. In that instance, he quickly spins around to face the man that has his fate concerning whether or not he'll get the blessing he so wants from him.

"I thought for a second _a bear_ grabbed me and was about to have me for _breakfast._ " he quickly babbled out. "I'm glad it was you and not Yogi's distant relative or maybe even Boo Boo thinking I was delicious picnic basket." he added briefly leaning to the right looking behind Casey. "Plus, I don't think any bears are on mutually good terms with any Park Rangers here like Yogi and Boo Boo are with Ranger Smith." he said taking the moment to hop around in circle in order to check behind him. Once he's facing Casey again, he stops and expresses a relieved smile. Unfortunately, that smile would quickly fade as the grizzled government agents speaks up.

"What are you lip smacking about idiot?" He quickly changes the subject. " _Nevermind_. You _trying to explain it_ will only give me an even _bigger_ headache." he added taking a moment briefly close his eyes in order to calm himself. " _Just listen_. Get _changed_ and _follow me_ for your _next challenge_." he ordered stepping forward. As he walks past Morgan, the hulking NSA Agent initiates an intentional but light shoulder bump.

The intentional shoulder bump may have been light to Casey to Morgan it nearly knocked him down. Fortunately it didn't but it did cause him to turn him around to the point where Morgan speaks up as he watches Alex's father head toward his tent. "What's the next challenge?" he hollered out.

Without even looking back, Casey yells back his response. " _You're going fishing!_ "

Upon hearing that, Morgan stands letting what Casey just said sink in. He continues to mull it over knowing full well they didn't even bring fishing poles with them. In that moment, he wonders what kind of twist does he have in store this time when it comes to the fishing challenge. Afterwards, while still zipped up in his sleeping back he shrugs his shoulder and hops back, bends downs, and shimmies into then disappears into his tent in order to change.

XXX

The start off to their intended destination for the next challenge didn't start off on the right foot for Casey. He had to deal with the all-out absurdity of Morgan's antics. Add to the fact that he did without having his usual cup of coffee. Black and bitter. It's how has always taken in. It's his fuel that helps get through the day and now that he isn't properly fuel he'll be grumpier…a lot more than he usually is.

As always, the experience and grizzled military vet made preparations ahead of time knowing the challenges he put together for Morgan. He has everything he or for this particular case Morgan needs within the green duffle bag slung over his right shoulder. Of course, he is also prepared when it comes to a contingency plan in case his former teammates decide to appear. If they decided to reveal themselves and come out of hiding that is.

In his mind, he knows they're out there and they've been on him since leaving the apartment complex. It wasn't hard spotting them knowing full well they tried very to conceal their whereabouts. For a season veteran such as himself, it's not that hard to spot if you know what you're looking for.

In any case, when it came to the first challenge was considered a cake walk in his own eyes. To him, any man should know how to build a fire if they were ever to find themselves stuck or lost in the wilderness. It was a complete surprise to him that Morgan even pulled it off thinking he would somehow hurt himself in the process of trying.

Essentially, it's who Morgan Grimes is. When he is faced with unenviable task such as the one he's in now he can completely go all in or not all. There's no in between with him. In the past, he would go all in for all the wrong reasons and it would most definitely bite him in the ass, especially when it involved the schemes he got into with Jeff and Lester. Now, he's doing it all for the right reasons and whether or not it will bite him in ass will all rest on his shoulders alone.

Truth be told, it puts all the added pressure on him knowing full well that Casey wants or in this case is expecting him to fail. Speaking of Casey, he's leading the way with Morgan following closely behind him who is making sure not to follow to close that he bumps into him by mistake. Every once and a while the NSA Agent takes out a map in order to examine just to make sure they're heading in the right direction.

His thoughts are focused on the task/challenge at hand when a voice behind break it.

"How _long_ till we get there?"

"We'll _get there_ when we get there." Casey gravelly retorted.

The man who spent living behind a wall for weeks in order to try to take out his former rival Premier Alejandro Fulgencio Goya, isn't much for small talk so he hopes that's all the conversation he's going to have with Morgan until they to their intended destination. Unfortunately, what he hopes for and what he ends up getting is two totally different things.

"I'm only asking because I thought I saw a bear and…"

" _Keep this in mind_ moron. _Don't worry_ about the bear. Bears are _more afraid_ of people than people are of bears. You just got to know _how to handle_ the situation."

"Have you fought off a bear before Casey?" Instantly, Morgan slaps his forehead. "Of course, you have. You must have and you probably made his fur out of a coat or something. _Grizzly Casey_."

It's at that point, Casey stops in his tracks and turns around causing Morgan to be quickly startled leading to stop instantly. This leads to Casey steps forward and locking eyes with Morgan. He glares down at him and speaks up.

"I'm only going to say this once so listen good." Casey arches up both eyebrows in order to get Morgan's response, which is a quick nod from him. He then continues on. " _The bear_ or _any bears_ for that matter aren't your concern. Your concern is to focus on the challenge I have for you." Casey turns around and is about to head forward when he turns around again point his right finger at him. "One more thing."

"What?"

"I saw that bear too. So good thing you spotted it too." he said turning around giving a firm nod. Afterwards he walks forward with an amused smirk in the corner of his mouth. In that moment, Morgan's eyes widen leading him to quickly look behind then immediately follows Casey in order to catch up to him for safety reasons sake.

XXX

"Where are we?" he asked looking around at seemingly majestic and not to mention beautiful scenery. The breath from his mouth wafts out in the cool park air.

The two men are standing on top of the embankment looking out at a lively riverbed. It took at least 30-45minute trek to get to it and by the time they did the sun started to rise. Now, with the sun slowly shining above Casey and Morgan are able to see what they came here to do, which was to complete the next challenge. A challenge that the proud marine meticulously planned out beforehand.

"Kaweah River. In the middle fork of it to be exact." Afterwards, he tosses a duffle bag over to Morgan to which is caught by the short bearded man. "Open it. You're gonna need it for your next challenge."

"What is it?" he said opening it and looking inside.

"A full body fishing wader suit." answered Casey. "You're going to get in there and catch our lunch."

Instantly, Morgan quirks his right brow then lifts his right finger. "What about the food in the cooler? There's plenty in there for lunch since Alex packed a lot. Come to think it, we haven't had breakfast yet."

Casey quickly chimes leading him to step forward then around to face Morgan. " _Zip it_ Grimes! _Forget_ about breakfast. Your mission _right now_ is to catch at least _3 fish_ you got that." he firmly stated holding up 3 fingers while glaring down at him.

As this is happening, Casey's former teammates are off in the distance on the other side of the Kaweah River bank securely hidden monitoring the entire situation unfolding before them. All 3 men are somewhat spread out but fairly close to each other. Each man looking through a hand held scope while wearing head phones attached to listening device in order to hear the conversation going on between Casey and Morgan. While doing so, they're in constant communication with each other as well.

" _Casey is nuts."_

" _You got that right Mac"_

The responses from MacKintosh and T.I. leads to Packard to speak as he crouches in his spot closely monitoring the situation at hand on the side of the river. "There's always a method to Casey's madness boys. You should know that by now." he said expressing a bit of smirk.

" _Yeah we know_." responded T.I. " _It's just crazy is all. Is that guy a potential recruit or something?_ "

" _If he is, he's been lucky so far_." Mackintosh retorted.

Packard chimes in after being briefly silent. " _Don't know_ and I _don't really care_. _What we're here to do is observe and when the time is right we make our move. On my say so. We don't want to mess this up by having one you jump the gun on this and screwing it all up."_

" _We know. You don't have to keep reminding us." T.I. responded with a tinge of anger in his voice._

" _Calm down big guy. There's a lot riding on this. Pac is just taking everything into consideration and crossing all the t's, as well as dotting all the I's. Isn't that right? That is what you're doing Pac?"_

There is a momentary pause as Packard continues looking through scope at Casey continuing to talk to Morgan. He then lowers the scope and speaks up. "What I'm doing is…" he started saying. "…making sure our retirement plan doesn't blow up in our faces. We know Casey and Casey knows us so we play it out as if we're going fishing. It's matter of being patience knowing when to use it as bait in order to hook Casey in."

" _So the little guy Grimes as Casey calls him_ …" MacKintosh stated. "… _we know he's the bait_."

" _How do we bait him then? We had the chance to reel him in last night."_

"Last night was just casting out the hook but without the bait. Getting a feel and a temperature of the water, so to speak gentlemen."

" _What's with the sudden fish and fishing analogy talk Pac?_

"Let's just say when I was younger my grandfather took me fishing and taught me a thing or two. It's the reason I was closer to him than my worthless deadbeat of an old man."

" _The only thing my old man ever taught me was don't ever be weak. Never show signs of weakness. Only the strong survive."_

" _My dad was actually…"_

The topic of dads is suddenly interrupted by Packard cutting his electronics teammate/business partner off. "Can the dad talk. We got _more important_ fish to fry. The gold that Casey _deprived us of_ years ago is _rightly ours and owed to us for instance._ So _focus_ on that. _Do I make myself clear?_ "

" _Yeah."_

" _Got it Pac."_

As all three men continue to carefully observe the situation from a securely hidden distance, Morgan has put on the full body fishing wader suit and is standing down at the river's edge. He's about to head in but then stops in order to look back up at Casey.

"What Grimes? Get _in there_ …" urged the United States Colonel." "…are you _backing out_ of the challenge?"

Morgan shakes his head. "No, I'm not. I'm just thinking…"

"Thinking what!?" Casey snapped back with annoying agitation.

"Wouldn't this be _easier_ with a fishing pole and a net? You know, in a _River Runs Through It_ kind of way? I know you're _Tom Skerrit_ character _Reverand Maclean_. The man who is well known as playing _Viper_ from the movie _Top Gun_. As for me, I'm well…" In Morgan's mind he wants to compare himself to Brad Pitt's character Paul MacLean who grew up to be more of fun-loving wild child. However, now that he is considers himself more gown up and responsible he compares himself to Craig Sheffer's character. "… _Norman Maclean_. The son who learned _everything_ from his father, especially the art of _fly fishing_." he explained.

"Get it through your head idiot. This _isn't_ a movie. You either _go through with the challenge_ or _we pack up, go home_ , and you _don't_ get what _you_ want. It let _me know_ the type of man _you really are_." he growled. "So, what's your decision?"

Chuck Bartowski's hetero life partner takes into consideration what Casey said to him. He then turns around facing the Kaweah River and faces the challenge ahead of him. Afterwards, he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and clinches both hands expressing determination to face his future father-in-law's challenge head on. A brief moment later he opens his eyes then steps forward making his way into the seemingly vibrant waters of the river to catch at least 3 fish.

XXX

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 _ **NOTE: SORRY FOR THE DELAY GUYS! LIFE PRETTY MUCH GOT IN THE WAY. ON THE PLUS SIDE, I GOT A NEW DOG FROM THE SHELTER AND I NAMED HIM CHIRRUT AFTER CHIRRUT IMWE FROM STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE. ANYWAS, AS ALWAYS PLEASE REVIEW BECAUSE REVIEWS ARE AWESOME!**_


	10. The Bearded Karate Kid

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Morgan through pure luck and use of pop culture reference of Tom Hank's movie Castaway was able to start a fire. Now, Challenge #2 awaits Morgan and it involves catching a fish without the use of a net or fishing pole for the matters. Is he going to pull it off? Will he fail and thus lose his opportunity to get the blessing of proposing to Alex from Casey he so wants from him? Plus, how does the movie Karate Kid help him? Read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **The Bearded Karate Kid**

 **XXX**

Morgan Grimes currently stands just above waist high facing with the flow of a streaming river water instead of against it as he's embarking on a mission to catch fish. A difficult task indeed to undertake with even greater difficulty, especially without the use of a net or a fishing pole for that matter. His own hands are the quintessential tools that will only be used to catch fish swimming within waters of the Kaweah River.

For it's a seemingly devious twisted mission given to him by his potential future father-in-law John Casey who just put him up to quite possibly an immense physical and quite possibly mental challenge before him. Yet, he's up to it as he wants prove to himself that he can do it to the point where he can attain the one thing that he's never really gotten from the hulking NSA Agent…respect.

To him, it's the something he truly wants to somehow and in some way earn from him. What better way to do that by having some bonding time with a guy who his hetero life partner used to refer to him as emotionally constipated. Granted, when he put his own life on the line to save Alex from The Ring's top ring agent Vincent Smith he got a subsequent handshake from him. An approval of sorts to continue the relationship with his daughter.

Unfortunately, it's not necessarily the same as getting his respect because that takes something far greater to achieve that he thinks to himself. He recalls the conversation he had with Chuck a few days after the whole ordeal went down and things started to call down for the most part. His lanky best friend sharing with him how he and Alex under direst by their mutual hulking friend were under intense surveillance in an alley across the street from the Olive Garden they were on a date at.

A grown up date to be exact unlike the dates he had with Anna where it sometimes involved playing arcade games at the Santa Monica Pier. Half the time he would be so focused on playing against kids in order to win he would totally forget Anna was there so much so she would leave him there in anger. Thinking about further, that was their entire relationship in which he would do something stupid, she would get angry and he end up somehow get back into her good graces. A man-child through and through back in the day.

Truth be told, he knows before he ever met Alex he considered himself an utter screw up. A screw up who lacked the drive, determination and not mention fortitude to grow up in order to grab his future by the stones as Casey would so eloquently put it. Unfortunately, he didn't do that and he only did just enough to get by to the point where "just enough" was considered to be his credo. In hindsight, he held himself back and didn't want to break the hold of mediocrity.

Essentially, he in all intents and purposes hid in plain sight in that mediocrity with his former flame Anna Wu, which only lasted for a few years. Thankfully he broke free of that mediocrity via the Buy More, as well as Jeffster otherwise known as Jeff and Lester, the Beevis and Butthead of the nerd herd desk. Once all ties were finally served, he found himself gaining a new found energy and stride in regards to the outlook of his future.

In any case, he remembered it totally blew his mind to hear that coming from his own best friend and how his privacy was violated but more so for Alex he thought to himself. It was an intimate moment shared by both of them only to be tainted by 3 pairs of prying eyes. However, it gave him a sense of weird relief knowing that if they weren't under surveillance the whole situation would have ended tragically at the hands of a top ranking Ring agent.

Of course, he and Casey have always had a relationship of sorts mainly one where in the beginning he constantly threatened him with bodily harm, torture, or having him disappear into a deep, dark cave. Now, not so much and maybe the reason is he's wearing him down in a Steve Urkel kind of way and instead of Casey being Laura Lee Winslow it's the patriarch of the family Carl Winslow. Granted, there have been plenty of "did I do that" moments that he barely got out unscathed from the military vet's grasp thanks to Chuck, Sarah, and/or Travis for that matter.

While still just above waist deep in Kaweah River water, Morgan has a sudden epiphany in which Casey has been his unofficial teacher all through these years. A wise sensei the likes of Mr. Miyagi to him being the young student Daniel Larusso or otherwise known as Daniel-San True, he Casey did study under his former sensei turned bad guy Ty Bennet according to Chuck but unfortunately his anger centers him much to his dismay. Fortunately, he considers himself a much different student without having anger to center him. _Alex is my center._

For the man who once nearly burned down his best friend's business he suddenly sees what he hopes to be his future father-in-law as his own unconventional sensei. From his own viewpoint, a sensei that isn't teaching him through sage wisdom but by letting him use his own way of doing things in order to accomplish the challenges he's making him do. _You are good big guy. So good. I see what you're doing._ In that instance, a smile is expressed on his lips as he looks up at Casey standing atop the edge of the hill overlooking the Kaweah River. This causes the proud marine to keenly notice.

" _What are you smiling about moron_?" he hollered out in a growl. His breath wafts out from his mouth due to how chilly it is within their surrounds.

" _Nothing_!" he hollered back shaking his head. " _Mr. Casey-agi._ " he faintly breathed also wafting out because of the chill and the fact he is the cold Kaweah River.

Once he returns his attention to said Kaweah River he notices a piece of fabric hanging from his right shoulder straps that's just big and long enough. To do what exactly? He reaches up and rips it out and lays it out in front of him in full view with both hands. It's at that point, he begins hearing in his head climax confrontation near the end of Karate Kid 3 where Mike Barnes is yelling at Daniel. This leads him to raise the long fabric up towards then inevitably tying it up around his forehead. Afterwards he tightens the back with determination and then looks up at/towards Casey.

" _I will stay focused_!" he yelled out proudly. In that moment, he looks forward with absolute focus and claps his hands together and never separates them as he mentally prepares himself to conquer the next part of Casey's challenge _. "I won't let you down!"_ he added closing his eyes.

Casey stands there in utter bewilderment at what Morgan just yelled out to him. To him, he either lost his mind for being in the cold Kaweah River or pressure has gotten to him that something snapped in that man-child brain of his. Either way, this leads to trained sniper to give his response.

" _You have now until noon to capture at least 2 fish. I'll be nearby so don't look for me. I'll be watching."_ he yelled out once again. He then walks away thinking he may have broken Morgan sooner than expected, which leads him to express a slight smirk on the right side of the lip.

 _"I got this!"_ hollered back Morgan. His full attention on preparing himself to catch 2 fish _. "I got this."_ he whispered faintly to himself.

XXX

 _"I go this."_ he repeatedly whispered to himself once again _._

While continuing to standing there just above waste deep and not to mention cold waters of the Kaweah River, he recalls the low key forms that Mr. Miyagi played awesomely by Noriyuki "Pat" Mortia taught to Ralph Macchio's young character Daniel Larusso. His eyes still closed trying to not let the cold water physically affect him, he focuses on concentrating on the 1st initial lesson to Daniel-San… _Sand The Floor_.

He recalls that a seemingly strict Mr. Miyagi had the young and eager young man do work around his house, which started with Daniel sanding his floor. It's those unique techniques would ultimately be one of the most awesome pop culture movie references that for any 80's kid growing up would know instantly about, especially if it involved referencing somehow to real life. True, real life didn't go hand in hand with Morgan's lifestyle back then but now he's determined to grab life by the nose and give it a honk he thinks to himself.

In any case, thus begins Mr. Miyagi's kata involving his uniquely interesting teaching techniques. Morgan then slowly places his hands above the flowing water and inevitably opens his eyes clearly noticing the several number of fish underneath the surface of the water thanks to sunlight shining a bit on the water. Sunlight that is rising over the tree line. Thankfully, it's not shining directly at him or he would be totally blinded right now as the sunrise is just off to his right...3 o'clock in terms Casey would most definitely grunt out.

Speaking of Casey, he wonders if he's intently watching him right now and whether or not he's looking like an absolute fool in his eyes. _Who am I kidding. He always thinks that way._ _I'm here to prove to myself my mother didn't raise no fool. Figure of speech of course because quite frankly as a kid I always would try to make my mom laugh. It helped keep her from being sad sometimes._ It's that particular thought that he suddenly shakes his head and refocuses his attention on the matter at hand.

Morgan begins by circling his right hand in a clockwise fashion on the top surface of the water then does it again with his left hand. He intently focuses on his mission and objective which is swimming underneath the water mere inches away from him. Of course, he's faintly breathing out the following four words: _Sand The Floor._ Granted, whether it's working on it is dependent on the possible success of him actually catching a fish. 2 would absolutely be a miracle.

In that moment, his determination rather than his doubts wins out leading him to express of look of intensity emanating from his eyes. His breathing becomes more controlled as if he's hearing the voice of Mr. Miyagi in his head right now. More importantly, replaying the scene in his head where Daniel-San is fed up with Mr. Miyagi not teaching him anything and then suddenly finds himself using those lessons, which was considered to be a real eye opener.

He continues circling both hands down below over the water in a big clockwise fashion instead of in the air in front of him. However, its not at the same time mind you. He then suddenly stops after noticing something.

" _Yikes. Don't want to break Chuck's watch in case I have to fight and ending up crane kicking one of the fish. Plus, I don't know if it's waterproof. I'm not taking any chances since it's helped my best friend. I don't know how it will help me but time will tell."_

In that instance, he reaches over with his right hand unstrapping Chuck's watch from his left wrist. Afterwards, he safely places it in the inside right breast pocket of the sleeveless jacket vest he's wearing. Once he's safely tucked it away he returns to the task at hand of circling both hands above the water _. Show me sand the floor._ This goes on for a while but a few moments later he quickly sinks his right hand into the water then his left hand in order to what seems like scoop out the fish.

True, he makes a tremendous splash to the say least scooping/kicking up and out the water within/around his situated area. He continues waving both his arms huge circles like a mad man until he gradually stops due to fatigue. Unfortunately, he doesn't catch any fish but what he does catch is a possible cold as his entire head and face is drenched with Kaweah River. While standing there with water dripping down his nose and entire head, as well as face he looks around then takes a deep breath.

" _Well_ …" faintly stated Morgan shrugging his shoulders. "… _times to wax on, wax off_."

XXX

When it came to Mr. Miyagi's sand the floor technique it was an epic fail. Yet, Morgan was undaunted because in his mind the first try is considered to be a trial run and it didn't work. So, he went on to the next technique that he made Daniel-San "train" for, which was waxing his collection of antique cars. Unfortunately, he would be dealing with antique cars that were just sitting there as he's dealing with fish that swim around and to mention have a mind of their own so they're absolutely unpredictable.

Not willing to give up whatsoever, he remembers what Mr. Miyagi told Daniel-San as he instructed him to Wax On, Wax off. _Concentrate and look in eyes. Not The Hand. Thumb inside._ To him, he had the concentration, thumb inside, and not looking at his hand part down but when it came to trying to look the fish in the eyes it was utterly hard. Also, a struggle to do. He did his best to do it but that begrudgingly failed which was disappointing. Fortunately, that didn't deter him one bit. After taking a look at Chuck's watch, he had at least 5 and half hours left before the noon deadline.

With Wax On, Wax off it too was a fail since it was somewhat similar to sand the floor. A bit frustrated but not defeated he ventured with unwavering determination towards the next of Mr. Miyagi's technique: Paint The Fence. Once again, he hears the iconic fictional movie character's voice in his head. _Up. Down. Up Down._ He whispered this to himself with a bit of force in his voice mixed like Mr. Miyagi did with Daniel-San in the movie to the point where he mentally added the hands impacting the palms to pump him up even more.

 _Eye! Always look eye!_ As much as he trying his best to heed looking his opponent in the eyes, those aforementioned opponents aren't cooperating much or refusing to at all. To him, if he doesn't somehow pull this off he'll fail Casey's challenge and thus won't get the blessing of proposing to the woman he loves. A woman who he is actually trying to be a better man for in hopes of becoming an even better husband for to where he wants to be an awesome father to their kids.

A thought that never really crossed his mind with Anna because it was merely a relationship that represented having fun at least to him back then. He now wholeheartedly understands why she dumped him because he wasn't fighting for a real relationship with real responsibility. In hindsight, he was fighting against having something real because it truly scared him if he actually found someone who wanted to grow up for.

He found that person in Alex and as much as he's scared in facing off with real life, he'll gladly go up against it now since he wasn't ready back then. In a way, the opponent he's facing off against are representing the fish version of the human main villain to the movie Johnny Lawrence. His thoughts regarding Johnny Lawrence inevitably take over, when it comes another iconic or in this particular case legend… _wait for it_ …dary character Barney Stinson.

 _A very memorable character from the series How I Met Your Mother played by Neil Patricl Harris who considered Johnny Lawrence played by William Zabka. He made an appearance thanks to Ted and Marshall during his bachelor party deemed the "bro mitzvah". Yet, its Barney who drops the proverbial bomb that he considered Johnny the good guy with Daniel being the bad guy._ _Season 8 of Episode 22…_

 _Focus Moron-San!_ It's those words that screamed in his own head via the Casey-esque version of Mr. Miyagi that bring him back to completely focusing on the task at hand. _Now, Paint the fence!_ In that moment, the former Buy More green shirt slowly goes up and down with both arms this time from in the water making sure to having his palms out. When it comes to taking them out of the water he bends his wrists in a downward motion so as to stick to the authenticity of it all despite it being a movie.

After taking time to inhale and exhale, he continues to move his arms up and out of the water then into it with a seemingly easy flow. Nothing too complicated he thinks to himself. While doing so, he does his best to at least imagine locking eyes with what he now considers countless fish versions of Johnny Lawrence. The seconds seem like minutes then minutes seem like hours until he suddenly finds himself locking eyes with a fish. He doesn't know what kind of fish exactly, which he should have googled beforehand but its pointless now he thinks to himself.

He doesn't dare break focus on the fish he's locked in a staring contest of sorts. His fluid of motion with both of arms entering and leaving the water is amazingly smooth much to Morgan's own surprise evident by how wide his eyes are right now. Yet, he doesn't dare make sudden moves and tries at best not to blink because he's about to strike…or at least he hopes he strike.

Upon thinking that though, he suddenly makes his move causing the water in front of him to disturbed in such a way that it erupts in a sort of volcanic type of eruption. For it's an eruption that's momentarily chaotic but it would gradually settle down in every sense of the word. Morgan stands there bent over with his soaking wet face and head a few inches from the surface of the water. He lifts himself a bit then peers down at his arms that are now against his chest.

His face expresses fatigue but after a few seconds it expresses something much different. A victorious smile as he bends straight up to reveal that he has a rather large fish pinned tightly against his chest with both arms. He quickly heads carefully on his way to shore making sure not to fall back into the water or he'll drop the fish he just caught thanks to Paint The Face. As he heads to shore, he keeps repeating the following in his head as he's grinning. _I did it! I can't believe it but I did it!_

XXX

The surprising achievement in catching a fish shocked Morgan and he immediately scanned the area for Casey. Unfortunately, he didn't see any sign of him whatsoever whereby signifying that in his eyes even he may have got a partial win it's still doesn't complete the challenge he's been tasked to do. Fortunately, he has taken breaks from time to time even though they were to be shorts one so as to not lose the momentum he attained after catching the 1st fish.

The easy part is getting the 1st catch out of way to alleviate the pressure he's possibly placed on his own shoulders knowing it may get tougher as the hours pass. Unfortunately, he was right as 1 hour turn to 2 then 5 and half hours as he would find himself in an incredibly difficult situation where the mental, as well as emotional pressure was mounting.

What was also mounting was the physical pressure as being in the water for so many hours have possibly taken its toll on his entire body and not to mention his health as well. Yet, he's willing to put his mind, body, and even soul on the line if it means nearly killing himself to accomplish any challenges Casey puts in front of him.

It's that particular that as he stands in the now somewhat warm waters of the Kaweah river. Thankfully, as the day continued on the sun's rays shined down on the spot where he's been standing in giving some comfort knowing full well his legs have grown gradually numb by being in the water for so long. Once again he does his best to set aside the mental and physical pain to the point where he knows it's crunch time causing him to slap his hands together one more time. In doing so, he slowly rubs them together and turns around to face the other direction, which means he's going against the current of the water.

As much as Morgan wants to crane kick a fish out of the water to complete Casey's challenge he has to kick it up a notch. In that moment, he takes it to the next level or should I say Karate Kid 2 after the last technique of paint house was an utter failure. _Side to side. Lock Wrists. Side to side. Yeah that awesomely failed._ In any case, he's channels the ice breaking scene where a cocky Chozen challenges Daniel to break the ice in order to embarrass him in front of everybody including Kumiko. In his mind, he considers it a pivotal moment where Mr. Miyagi helps Daniel drown out the noise that's distracting him for what he has to do.

So, he does just that as briefly rubs his hands together once again. Afterwards, he closes his eyes and does the exact same technique Daniel does as he stands in front of the blocks ice with Mr. Miyagi standing right beside him. Unfortunately, he's not standing right beside him in this high stakes moment but he forges on as if he is. His breathing is calm and focuses every intention of break through the ice that also represents the 1 fish he's trying to capture. A few seconds go by and he feels centered but that doesn't long. Why?

Casey. With his eyes remaining closed, Morgan hears the unmistakable gravel tone as he makes his presence known. " _10 minutes to noon Grimes. Then your time is up."_ he hollered out.

Undeterred, Morgan gives his response. "Then I shouldn't waste my last ten minutes. I'm using every second I got!." he bellowed back.

 _"By just standing there_!?"

 _"_ It may look like I'm just standing here, but I'm doing much more than that! _"_

 _"It looks like you're about to swim the back stroke against the fish. My money is on the fish winning_!" he yelled out _._

As much as he's trying to center himself, he's beginning to unravel due to Casey verbal antics. They go back and forth like for the next 9 minutes causing the anger to build up in him. His challenge is up in the next 60 seconds and if somehow a miracle happens for Morgan he won't be able to face the next challenge. His calm focus would be absolutely broken when the proud marine suddenly says something that cause him to completely unravel.

" _It's a no-win situation Grimes. 20 seconds_! _Just say it_! _You give up_!?"

In that moment, Morgan opens his eyes and as he turns to give his angered response a finish jumps out of the water in front of him. It completely startles him to where his instincts suddenly take over leading him to do the karate chop through ice maneuver that he's been focused on doing for quite some time. The maneuver miraculously hits the fish point blank on target hard with his right hand causing it to sail across the air landing on the shore inevitably flopping around.

As this is happening, Morgan stands there in the water in absolute astonishment as he stares at the flopping fish along the shore where he gets out and stands to take short breaks. He continues to watch it flop…right at Casey's feet where it landed. Speaking of Casey he is left considerably speechless. However, who isn't speechless is Morgan Grimes as he raises both arms up celebrating in the last seconds utter victory and screams out loud the following words that echo in the surrounding area:

"I am the Bearded Karate Kid!"

XXX

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 ** _NOTE: SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I REALLY ENJOYED WRITING THIS CHAPTER! HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT AS WELL! AS ALWAYS PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	11. There's Something About Morgan

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Morgan was able to pull off the seemingly impossible in the last few seconds of his challenge by catching fish #2 in front of Casey. For this particular chapter, it focuses on the insights of Casey's former team on the shocking aftermath. Plus, the ladies of Team Chuck give their thoughts after receiving a certain text. What else is in story for Morgan? Read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **There's Something About Morgan**

 **XXX**

 _If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes_ …" Mackintosh whispered after clicking his communications device within his right ear. His head shaking in disbelief. "… _I wouldn't have believed it_."

Mackintosh, Packard and T.I. continue to intently monitoring their former commanding officer and the little bearded man with him. They watched as both men returned to their camp site and are now having lunch, which now included the 2 fish that were caught. It was certainly a sight to behold for all 3 men witnessing what seemed to be at first an absolute crazy person trying to catch fish using techniques straight out of a movie, which Mackintosh once again surmised.

For electronics expert and notable nerd of the trio, it didn't take that long to know those moves after keenly noticing the man tying a piece of fabric around his forehead. At first it looked absolutely ridiculous at the mere thought of made up techniques actually working, especially for catching 1 fish let alone 2. A for effort he thought to himself knowing full the first 2 of Mr. Miyagi's techniques embarrassingly failed.

Although he should have quit because the odds of him catching a fish were overwhelmingly not in his favor, a small part of him wanted him to succeed. Unfortunately, his 2 cohorts didn't have that same sentiment evident by the spurts of faint laughter head in his ear piece. It certainly was for the most part an entertaining sight to see in a dog splashing around just for the fun of it sort of way. A dumb dog to be exact but an entertaining dog nonetheless.

Unfortunately, from look of determination and the intensity in his eyes he wasn't there to have fun. Far from it. The situation he was put in by Casey was taken very seriously. So seriously in fact he didn't have any kind of objections that he wanted to express in case there were any foreseeable complications _. He just went balls to the wall damn the consequences._ In a way, it's like he was used to that type of treatment as if it being going on for years and anything thrown at him will be thrown back twice as hard.

However, that would be suddenly stop after catching fish #1 and his two teammates simply chalked it up to good old fashioned dumb luck. It turned out they were right as the next few hours were pretty much a mind numbing, tortuous snooze fest until the very end. Despite that, they stayed put and continued monitoring the situation because that's what they were trained to do. Plus, for the simple reason of wanting to know how stubborn of a fool the bearded little guy is in seeing that he lost well before he even started.

Yet, he gave the bearded man credit for sticking with it whereas any other individual would have just packed it up for not only his own sanity, but health as well. He took the objective and saw it through without any complaints whatsoever on his part. Its what any soldier if given orders and didn't question them would do he thinks to himself. This leads to a sudden thought that would subsequently be broken by the sound of his teammate the weapons expert's voice in his right ear.

" _This guy must be a potential recruit being trained by Casey."_

In that instance, Mackintosh nods his head upon hearing that. Afterwards, he gives his response. "You totally read my mind Pac." he whispered back.

It's at that point, the voice of their mutual hulking teammate joins in on the communication between his 2 cohorts. " _That guy? A potential recruit? I can literally throw him with my pinky."_

This time, Mackintosh nods in agreement with T.I. after giving his assessment of the situation regarding Casey's possible protégé. " _He's got to be analyst or something. He seems way too easily breakable in the field_. _What's the deal Pac_?"

There is a brief momentary silence as Mackintosh crouches silently in his hidden spot from where Casey and Morgan are making camp. It wouldn't take long before the sound of Packard's voice would be heard again in his right ear. " _The same could be said for you Mac_."

Upon hearing that, Mackintosh gives a slight nod and tilt to his head. "True." he retorted with a bit of amusement on his part.

" _I called you toothpick the first time I saw you."_ Chimed in T.I.

"I remember big guy."

In any case, he can't help but agree with Packard's answer. Granted, even though he may not look like spy agent material or even act like it for that matter doesn't mean there's something there. _Hell, when I was recruited there were most definitely doubts within the powers that be of whether or not I could hack it purely based on my appearance_. Thinking about it further, he was thought based on his own observations looking from the outside in of the stereotypical tall and lanky individual lacking any type of overall physical ability whatsoever.

Of course, what he lacked in overall physical ability he truly made up for in being able to use his head smarts, in a crafty sometimes insane, sociopath kind of way. In addition, it also helps that he was extremely good at electronics, which The Farm keenly took notice of and utilized it as his skill set. A skill set that has been vitally used for and as an advantage in the past during missions, especially when he was part of Casey's team.

So, when it comes to seeing individuals who may not have the capability to use their physicality to overpower someone larger then themselves its best to not to judge a book by its cover he thinks to himself. It's a sentiment that Packard agrees with as well.

" _Looks can be deceiving_. _So be aware and stay alert with this guy. You got me_?"

" _Yeah_."

"Gotcha Pac." responded Mackintosh. After a brief moment of silence. "So, what's the game plan?"

" _We make our move_."

" _Now_?" quickly replied T.I.

" _Soon_ …" There is another brief pause then Packard continues on. "… _but for right now we regroup. Head back to basecamp_."

" _Roger That."_ Mackintosh replied with nod. He takes a moment to stare at the two men sitting at their base camp. Afterwards, he then turns still in a crouched position heading back to meet up with his partners in crime _._

XXX

It's around 1 p.m. and for the past 30 minutes or so Casey, as well as Morgan have been sitting quietly eating their lunch along with the catches of the day provided by the former green shirt. The two men haven't uttered a word to each since returning from the Kaweah River after the seemingly miraculous last second stroke of luck involving the 2nd fish. What did happen was when both men returned to came Casey simply pointed for his daughter's potential husband to be to sit down while he filleted the fish.

Once that was accomplished, he placed them on the grilled then silently informed Morgan to get the rest of the food from the cooler that Alex packed for them. It wasn't long before they feasted on the rewards that was successfully provided by a man whose actual use of a supposed made up move martial arts technique worked. Of course, it worked much to the dumbfounded surprise of the hulking military veteran who thought for sure would end up failing despite catching just 1 fish.

Speaking of Casey, he's focused finishing off the last remnants of the fish when it's suddenly broken by the sounded a rather loud belch. A belch that has considerable echo and it belongs to the man sitting across the other side of the camp fire.

" _Excussse me_." Morgan responded placing his left hand balled into his fist in front of his mouth. The watch that Chuck gave him back on his left wrist once again. He then lowers to is chest taking a moment to pound it a couple of times. "Sorry." He briefly pauses then continues on with a bit of hesitation on his part in order to start a conversation with his potential future father-in-law. "That sure hit the spot. How…how about you…uh…big guy?" he added trying not to look directly at him.

" _Gloating_ Grimes?" Casey grunted.

Morgan shakes his head upon hearing that. "No. _Not_ Gloating. It's…" He pauses trying to search for the right words to come with. It's not long before he continues on. "… _awesome_ that I actually _just did that_. It happened so fast that I just reacted with my _lightening quick Keanu Reeves/Neo like reflexes_." he added raising his right hand and doing a quick horizontal chop. In doing so, the remaining remnants of food left on his paper plate nearly topples to the side and on to the ground. However, he is able to save it just in the nick of the time before it does.

Casey simply expresses an annoyed stare with a faint snarl as well upon witnessing what nearly happened. After setting his plate off the side on the tree stump that he's been sitting on since they made base camp, he reaches down with his tactical knife that's he's using as a cutting utensil and a way of eating to wipe as well. He then wipes off the blade part against the bottom right area of his pant leg. He takes a moment to briefly examine it then reach around behind him in order to it stick it back in its holster.

"It looked more like you were _spazzing out_ …" he retorted furrowing his eyebrows towards him. "…or having a _seizure._ " the proud marine snidely remarked.

As much as Morgan knows that Casey is trying to get under his skin and rain on his proud parade he just shrugs it off both literally and metaphorically. He knows what he did was absolutely mind blowing and even though nobody filmed it to prove that it happened he did the next best thing by taking a selfie with both fishes that he caught. What he did next was send the pic to Chuck, Sarah, Alex, and the rest of the gang with the following caption: _**I AM THE BEARDED KARATE KID!**_

True, his hetero life partner and Travis may possibly get the gist of reference concerning the picture sent out knowing Casey is challenging him. Yet, for the others may just see it as a Morgan simply catching 2 fish and showing everybody his awesome trophies. Of course, once he returns home he'll share with them his harrowing and maybe somewhat embellished exploits of using the techniques of Mr. Miyagi in being able to capture both fish he thinks to himself. The mere thought of that causes him to express a smile on his lips. As he does, his thoughts concerning the matter are snapped as Casey continues speaking.

"Either way you completed my 2nd challenge. For the life of me _I have no idea how_ …" he stated with absolute disbelief on his part. "…but _you did_."

Morgan slowly quirks his right brow after hearing that. He doesn't know whether Casey is giving him a compliment or insulting him. He'll take both with the relationship they've established he thinks to himself. While sitting there sitting on the other side of the camp fire, he can clearly see not only the disbelief all over Casey's face, but the sheet determination in possibly making the difficult level of the 3rd challenge he has him doing much harder. A thought that both scares him but at the same time wants to exceed his own expectations.

However, he's not thinking about that right now. What's he's thinking about is taking a long nap with the very eventful day he's had thus far. It's that's particular thought begins to yawn then stretches out his arms. Afterwards he eats what's left of the remaining food on his plate then stands up. He throws his plate into a bag of trash sitting off to the side the stands up.

"Time for a nap." he announced.

As Morgan turns around to head towards his tent, he hears the sound of Casey's voice behind him. " _Where are you going_?"

Morgan turns around and motions towards his tent. "Going for a nap."

In that instance, Casey stands up and locks eyes with Morgan. " _Wrong_. What _you're going to go for_ is _more firewood_ and after that _Challenge #3_."

After hearing that, a clearly mentally and physically tired Morgan faintly breathes out his response. " _Awesome_."

XXX

While Morgan is about to head off for more firewood and another challenge set up by Casey, Sarah is at home in Casa Bartowski with A.J. having a playdate with his cousin Clara. Ellie is with her daughter since she has the day off and she's not alone as Shannon is there too with Wesley. Add to that with the gaggle of females is Alex who spending some time with the ladies since Morgan and her father are doing so manly bonding together. In her mind, some quality female bonding should be done as well, especially after spending time with Jayne at Starbucks a few nights before.

All 4 ladies are seating in the living room area with Ellie and Sarah sitting on the floor with their kids while Shannon is seating on the couch. Wesley seated on her legs being bounced up and down. As for Alex, she's comfortably seated on the couch chair with her phone in hand staring at the picture Morgan texted her along with everyone else. A smile on her face knowing full well that even though it looks like Morgan might be having fun her dad is most definitely putting him through the ringer.

Her thoughts concerning the matter are subsequently broken the sound of Sarah's voice getting her attention. " _I'm just saying_ …" This causes her to lift her head to where former C.I.A. agent is presently located. She is holding her happily rambunctious son with both her hands as she continues on. "…has Morgan _ever in his life_ actually gone _fishing_?"

In that instance, Ellie speaks up in response since she has practically known Morgan the longest much to her chagrin. " _Actual fishing_ …" she said with in a somewhat amused response. Her growing daughter focusing on playing with her baby doll. "…no." the eldest Bartwoski sibling added shaking her head. "The _closest_ he's come to finishing are either playing it on a _Gameboy, Nintendo, or Xbox_. Devon did text me once he got the pic."

"What did he say?" wondered Sarah quirking his right brow.

" _First off_ …" she replied with a grin. "…he said _awesome_. After that, he texted me that he wants to go on an all guys fishing trip. Male bonding time."

Sarah rolls her eyes and shakes her head after Ellie shared that piece of information. " _Of course_. Chuck texted me as well saying Morgan _somehow_ _and in some way_ used the _Karate Kid_ in catching those 2 fish." Sarah said. "Once he figures it, he'll let know me."

"So did Travis. I'm guessing the two of them have been texting each other _racking their brains_ trying to figure it _together_." Shannon retorted.

"I don't doubt it with _those two_ movie brainiacs." Sarah said shrugging her shoulders with a smirk on her lips. "I don't think they brought fishing poles or a net. Did they?" she added directing her attention to Alex sitting on the comfy couch chair.

In that moment Alex suddenly realizes the focus is now on her causing her to snap herself into focus. "Oh. Yeah. _As far as I know_ , they didn't bring any fishing poles or a net for that matter. My dad _could have_ because he _is the type_ to be prepared."

A brief lull occurs within the living room leaving Alex with her own thoughts. In her mind, her father could very well have had the fishing pole and net in the trunk of his precious 1985 Crown Victoria. Granted, as a proud marine or a military man in general doing something such as a going down a set checklist is engrained in his DNA she thinks to herself. True, she could have taken the time to stop and ask him before they left but that would potentially throw off the schedule that he planned out.

If there's one thing that she knows about her father is that does go by a set schedule. Hell, during the times he would secretly check up on her at the Pie Shack at SilverLake, he would come in right on schedule on and could always count on him to sit in same usual spot. He wouldn't miss a day and truth be told she truly enjoyed those days not knowing the relationship they shared together. In any case, if Morgan caught the 2 fish with or without a fishing pole and net she's proud of him nonetheless.

Ultimately, the brief lull would be interrupted by Shannon as she speaks up. She continues bouncing Wesley on her legs while doing so. "You know what. I can't help but imagine the scene in the movie _There's Something about Mary_. Ben Stiller's character _gets snagged_ by a fishing hook as he's about to kiss Cameron Diaz's character."

"Serious brain stamp right there Shannon." Ellie chuckled channeling her husband's verbal sayings. This causes some momentary laughter within the Bartowski living quarters. Once it dies down, she continues on. "Knowing Casey, he would kill Morgan for even thinking about doing it."

All 3 women nod in agreement leading to Shannon to speak up once again. "All I'm saying is _that picture_ doesn't show _Casey_. For all we know Casey has a _fishing hook_ stuck in his mouth." she remarked in somewhat disbelief. "There's _gotta be a story_ behind it."

"That would be bad knowing Casey's temperament." replied Sarah taking a moment to take out her phone in order to look at the picture as well "Of course, he's had _far worse injures_ than possibly getting snagged by a fishing hook." the blonde beauty added pertaining to her partner.

Alex takes that opportunity to speak up on behalf of her bearded best friend for life. " _I'm sure_ my dad's _fine_ ladies…" she chimed in with reassurance. "…and so is _Morgan_. Sure, he can be considerably clumsy and simple minded…" It's at that point all 3 women stare at Alex as the sound of their kids are heard within the living room. This leads Alex to lean forward. "… _BUT_ he has changed and _you know its true_. He's more _focused and determined_ than in the past. Plus, there's something about Morgan where if you bet _against him_ because of who he _was or people think he still is in the past_ you wind up _losing_ that bet _big time_." she firmly stated.

Alex's statement regarding the new Morgan compared to the old Morgan makes an initial impact with the 3 ladies in the living room. As they continue to talk amongst themselves while simultaneously playing with their kids, she leans back making herself comfortable and becomes lost in her own thoughts once again. In her mind, ever since receiving the photo from Morgan, the ladies presently in the living of Casa Bartowski have given their own thoughts and opinions of the picture itself.

For the most part she's been considerably amused at the mere thought of the possible shenanigans Morgan and her father have been having so far on their camping trip. Thankfully, he doesn't look any worse for wear physically. As she gazes down again at the selfie image of Morgan with the 2 fish he caught, she can't help but express a smile because he's having the time of his life with her father no less. It's that particular thought that he hopes her man at least gets some rest with all the fun he's having.

XXX

" _I need a nap_." breathed out Morgan. He's been aimlessly meandering within the woods gathering firewood.

He's carrying in his arms in front of him a number of sticks and pieces of wood that he's been able to gather. Granted, his arms feel like they're on fire right now after what's he's been through. Truth be told, his hold body feels like it's on fire knowing full well what he's physically been through so much so that he may eventually cramp up. _Scratch that. I know I'll cramp up._ However, it's all been worth it just prove to Casey that he's up for any challenge he puts in front of him.

Unfortunately, it may also have earned him even more pain of the physical kind than ever before. What he did to earn those 2 fish he did to himself instead of Casey barking orders at him to do it. He pushed through it unlike anything he's ever experience before in his lifetime. True, he's used his arms, fingers and legs when it comes to video games but that's a totally different experience altogether as it involves actually using every muscle in one's body. He knows he went above and beyond what he's physically capable of in a sort of zoned out trippy out of body experience kind of way.

When it comes to his mental state, it's not at the mindset just yet where he thinks it's too overwhelming for him and he'll tap it. Far from it he thinks to himself. Sure, in between early this morning and at the end of the 2nd challenge there was a tremendous amount of doubt and worry. It would eventually turn from mental to emotional as he found himself getting a bit frustrated and angry. He wasn't angry at Casey but rather at himself because of how cocky he suddenly got after catching the first fish.

As much as he prided himself in being able to credit one of Mr. Miyagi's techniques in catching the first fish, it purely came down to just dumb luck he thinks to himself. That dumb luck definitely added to the pressure he put on himself to the point where in the last few seconds remaining of the challenge his emotions would get the better of him. The anger and frustration he felt building within himself released to where it luckily impacted the 2nd fish rather than Casey, which is probably why it was able to land as far as it did inevitably landing at his feet.

His thoughts concerning the matter are suddenly broken when he snaps out of his weary haze and notices he has gone out father than usual in getting firewood. He does a quick spin in order to try to familiarize himself with his surroundings but he finds that everything around him practically looks the same. Fortunately for him, he's hasn't deviated from the straight path that much since he disappeared out sight the same way he entered the first time he gathered firewood on the first night of camp. The only difference is it's the afternoon instead of the dead of night.

While taking a moment to take another tired inhale then elongated exhale, he peers down noticing a medium length stick suitable for the campfire. After bending down and carefully placing with the other sticks he's attained making sure not to drop any of them, something catches his peripheral vision to his right. He carefully makes his way through the terrain of brush, trees, rocks, etc. to where he ends up standing within makeshift hidden clearing in front of what looks to be a dark S.U.V. He can't help wonder how a vehicle such as this was able to get to this particular location.

His curiosity gets the better of him. He shuffles his way towards the passenger side door window first placing his forehead up against the window in order to get a better look inside. Unfortunately, he's unable to see anything so he reaches up with his right hand in order to cover the light. However, before doing just that he makes sure to get a better hold of the sticks he's now carefully carrying with his left arm. Afterwards, his viewpoint is considerably better and clearer this time where he can faintly distinguish what's inside. It's not long before he instinctively reaches over with his other hand to cover the light above his eyes entirely. In doing so, he drops all the sticks down to the ground.

While standing there look down at the sticks that are strewn about on the ground, he shakes his head. " _Awesome._ " he faintly breathed out.

After taking another deep but quick breath, bends down to pick gather them up once again. As he does, he suddenly finds himself noticing a pair of boots suddenly appearing in his eye line. His begins looking from his eye line of the boots up and gradually makes his way heading upward into a standing position. He's not face to chest with the individual in question and not mention totally forgotten on the sticks that fell to ground.

As he lifts his head to see the face of said individual, a seemingly charming smile is expressed by a distinguished man with salt and pepper hair. Morgan is about to say something when he hears the sound of a voice behind him.

" _Who is your little friend there_?"

Morgan looks behind him noticing a rather tall, gangly looking individual and a tattooed tank with legs. His eyes widen immediately leading him to turn back to the man standing in front of him who is still smiling at him. He notices the man with salt and pepper hair's attention on him is suddenly directed towards to the 2 men behind him.

"I don't know. Let's find out."

* * *

XXX

 _ **NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER. HOPEFULLY I'LL HAVE THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT SOON! AS ALWAYS GIVE YOUR REVIEW ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF IT!**_


	12. This Is A Test

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Casey begrudgingly eats the challenge he set forth to Morgan who just barely pulled off. Also, the females within the inner circle of Team Chuck discuss the picture that sent to them by Morgan. This leads to Morgan being sent out by Casey to get more wood only to stumble upon the campsite of the Colonel's former teammates unbeknownst to him. For this particular chapter, it focuses on Morgan's inner most thoughts as he encounters Casey's former unit all alone. What happens? Will he freak out? How is the movie The Recruit involved in this? Read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story.___

 **This Is A Test**

 **XXX**

"Who might you be friend?" inquired Packard once again flashing his trademark charming smile.

The weapons expert of the trio reaches up placing his right hand on Morgan's left shoulder. Upon doing so, he turns him around in order to face his two cohorts T.I. and Mackintosh. Afterwards, he wraps his right arm around inevitably draping it over the little bearded man's neck giving a brief squeeze. This causes the former Buy More green shirt to be visibly concerned and not to mention nervous not knowing what may happen to him.

Speaking of Morgan, he's standing there next in the clutches of a complete stranger with two of his friends or associates standing several feet away from him. In his head, he suddenly finds himself hearing is the banjo playing from the movie Deliverance starring Burt Reynold and Ned Betty. Although it was just a movie, all he hopes is that these 3 guys don't make or should I say form him to squeal because that would not be awesome it all.

Plus, it would ruin his perfect day so far after the triumphant victory he experienced involving Casey's challenge. He tries to keep himself awesomely composed the best he can on the outside knowing on the inside he's gradually freaking out on the inside. To him, finding himself alone in the woods with 3 unknown men appearing out of nowhere with the possibility of bad intention is most definitely a setting for a horror movie if he ever knows it to be.

In his mind, he would certainly love to have someone…anyone for that matter to yell out "CUT!" and have the scene be over with he thinks to himself. Unfortunately, he doesn't think anyone is going to yell that and the situation he's presently in doesn't make any less comfortable as his every growing anxiety, as well as jumbled of nerves are building up ready to explode at any moment.

Granted, as much as he would like to run away he can't because of the utter fear he's experiencing. It has planted himself in the spot he's standing in next to the man who continues to flash his charming smile towards him. In that moment, he has no other choice but to respond to the man. After taking a moment to swallow, he is able to muster up enough courage to say his name.

" _Morgan_ …" he nervously blurted out. "…my name is _Morgan Grimes_. he added trying to remain as he possibly can. His attention briefly cuts to the two men standing on other side then returns to the man with his right arm draped around his neck.

The charming smile that Packard flashed down towards the bearded man grew a bit larger after hearing his name. He takes a moment to look up at his two cohorts who he gives a nod towards then returns his attention back to the man named Morgan Grimes. "Well Morgan Grimes…" he responded releasing the hold he has around his neck. He then proceeds to pat him firmly on his shoulder causing Morgan to briefly express a bit of pain, which Packard keenly notices. In any case, he steps forward and as he begins circling the bearded individual he continues on. "…what might you be doing out here in our camp site?

Morgan is about to respond when he hears another voice but in a more gravely tone. " _It looks like you going to steal something._ "

" _No_ …" he immediately blurted out. His head snapped in the direction of the seemingly massive tank with tattoos. "…not stealing _anything_. I was just _gathering wood_ "…he stated pointing down at the sticks strewn about on the ground. "…. from _my camp site_ when I happen to notice your camp site here." he once again nervously explained. A bit of chuckle added in to mask he's freaking out inside. "My curiosity got the better of me. You know." A shrug of the shoulders is expressed hoping they understand his situation.

"You know what they say about curiosity." Mackintosh stated making his presence known.

For Morgan, the way the rather tall and lanky man is staring it at him its as if he's staring right into his very soul. A pair of seemingly dead crazed eyes that quite possibly has seen or been through some situation. The same dead and crazed eyes that a certain hulking NSA Agent tends to express as well. Although, he may resemble his hetero life partner the man that standing across from him has a completely different demeanor altogether.

"What do _they say_ about…" Morgan momentarily stops what he's saying as he tries to compose himself. Plus, he doesn't want to stumble over his words. "… _about curiosity_?" he inquired raising both eyebrows.

In that instance, Mackintosh retrieves something from behind him and lifts in the air in full view of Morgan. He sees the bearded man's eyes go completely wide as he switches it on and focuses on the sparks that are seen. Mackintosh's attention on the spark inevitably avert back to Morgan.

"They get you killed." he answered expressing an insane crooked smile towards him.

XXX

Morgan is rendered speechless after hearing that. He so wants to run right now after what the man branding what looks like a taser. A taser that he wants to use on him. However, he doesn't get that chance as his concentration is subsequently broken by voice the man exuding the charming smile.

" _Ok Mac, stop playing with our new friend Morgan here."_

Morgan's attention on the man name Mac somewhat softens as he notices the dead crazed look in his eyes suddenly disappears along with the taser. In its place is a much friendlier and non-threatening expression as he steps forward.

"Sorry about that Morgan. Just _a bit of fun_ with you that's all." he said reaching out for a handshake with his right hand "My name is Mackintosh. _Mac_ for short."

" _For real_!? That's a relief." Morgan retorted giving a big exhaled while wiping his forehead. He then reaches up to shake Mackintosh's hand. "You had me there for a sec." he added point at him with his left hand. "The whole " _it puts the lotion on its skin_ " kind of deal."

" _Buffalo Bill_." Mac instantly chimed in. "From the movie _Silence of the Lambs_." A smile expressed after giving that bit of information.

Morgan gives an impressive nod. His WarGames threat level slowly drops from a DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 3. "Yeah. You like that movie?"

"One of my faves. It's a classic."

"Awesome. I agree with you on that…"

It's at the point T.I. makes his presence known once again interrupting the conversation he and Mackintosh are having. "My name is T.I." he said stepping forward.

From Morgan's perspective, the man standing in front of him is huge. If the Hulk and Thor had a baby, he would be their love child he thinks to himself. That's what he was thinking in his head, what came out of his mouth was something totally different. " _Please, don't eat me_." he softly whispered looking up.

His attention on T.I. would be quickly broken up by Packard's hand dropping on his left shoulder once again. "Alright guys, give Morgan some space. Don't mind those two." he said stepping forward pointing with his right thumb over his right shoulder. An amused smirk expressed on his lips as he faces the now somewhat clam Morgan Grimes. " _T.I. is just a big teddy bear. Just between you and me_." he leans in whispering. A firm nod directed towards him added in.

" _Did you say something about me_?

Packard ignores T.I.'s question. He briefly looks down at the sticks strewn about the ground below then continues on. "Let me help with the sticks you dropped for the firewood for your camp site." he politely said bending down.

Morgan stands there briefly transfixed on the 2 man behind Packard but he quickly turns his attention below him. He then bends down himself in order to help gather the rest of the sticks. Afterwards, both men are in a standing position with their arms full of sticks. This leads to the weapons expert to finally introduce himself.

"My name is _Packard_ by the way. Sorry, I can't shake your hand at the moment." he said eyeing the sticks he's carrying in his arms.

"Nice to meet you Packard. So…" he said trying to figure out what say. While doing so, he sees the tank with Tattoos open the side door of their vehicle. "…you guys _roughing it_ like I am?"

"You could say that." nodded Mackintosh.

Morgan's attention on Packard is then turned to Mackintosh who is now sitting in the open doorway of their vehicle. A man who he instantly connected with on a movie level. A man who he could see being friends with. "Are you here by yourself Morgan?"

"Nope. I'm here with a friend of mine. We got in 2 days ago." he answered. "How about you guys? Been here long?

"About the same…" Packard stated leaning back beside the open doorway of the vehicle. "…we're about to have some chow."

In that moment, Morgan's right brow arches concerning the last word Packard said. He tilts his head a bit then begins to speak up. "By any chance are you guys military?"

Packard is momentarily silent as he briefly turns his attention to his 2 cohorts who take a moment to look at each other. Afterwards, he once again flashes his charming smile down towards the short statured individual. "As a matter a fact we are… _were_ actually."

" _You could say this is our retirement road trip._ " chimed in Mackintosh causing Morgan to briefly turn his attention to him.

Packard nods then continues on. "He's right. We're meeting up with an _old friend of ours_. We're putting the band back together one last time."

Instantly, Morgan's eyes widen. In his head, he's thinking this can't be a coincidence. 3 men who just happen to be in the military and in the same camp ground that they are in. One of them who looks like a talking tattooed tank and other a somewhat mirror image of Chuck but considerably less crazy and dangerous. Plus, a guy whose charming smile can truly disarm you in every sense of the word.

 _It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what's going on here. I know what this is! This is a test!_

XXX

So many thoughts are running through Morgan's head at the moment while standing there holding the sticks in his arms. One of them being that he knew that the last challenge was incredibly difficult for him physically and emotionally as well. He now has to contend with a challenge that is truly dripping in deception and covertness, in a manner of speaking. He can't help but think about the movie The Recruit starring Collin Farrell and Al Pacino. How Pacino character taught Farrell's character to think of everything as test.

It's that particular thought in which a slight smirk is expressed in the corning of his mouth. For Morgan, he knows he can't let on that he's being tested in the next part of Casey's challenge. He had to hand it to the big guy for springing it on him this quickly knowing how mentally and physically drained he is from this morning. In his mind, I guess he wants to see how well prepared he truly is to handle a situation where he'll be dealing with a challenge of this magnitude. He'll have to channel his inner badass spy and not let Casey's military buddies manipulate him into failing at whatever challenge they've been given.

His thought process would suddenly be broken by the sound of a snapped finger. A snapped finger that belong to the man with a charming smile. "Morgan, you okay? You _zoned out_ there for a bit." Packard asked with a tone of concern in his voice.

A bit thrown off, he immediately takes a moment to compose himself as he reassures Packard and the other two men that's he's fine with a simple nod. Afterwards, he briefly clears his throat and readies himself for what he believes is the next challenge.

"Sorry about that…" He shrugs his shoulders expressing a slight chuckle. "…I was think about the fish I caught earlier today." _Way to think quick on your feet Morgan!_

"2 and without a pole." stated T.I.

Upon saying that, Packard and Mackintosh shoot a hard, glaring stare towards T.I. who slowly realizes what he just said. He immediately shuts up and noticeably kicks himself evident by the "my bad" expression on his face. The two weren't the only ones to notice the expression as Morgan did too. However, he already had it in his mind to not be played in order to Casey to get the upper hand to where he ends failing the challenge of wits he thinks to himself. So, he plays along.

"That's right." he replied somewhat surprised. "2 fish and I only used my hands. How…"

"We…" Mackintosh cuts in quickly trying to deflect T.I.'s unfortunately faux pas. "…we were hiking _close_ by and noticed what you were doing. We didn't want to disturb you because you looked to be _laser focused_. _Mr. Miyagi_ techniques right? I know those Karate Kid moves _anywhere._ "

On the outside, Morgan remained the best he could at being absolutely calm. Yet, on the inside he was scrambling to figure out what his next step to do. He even went so far as to go back to what he did when he prepared himself for the mission that he was a part of in order to capture Serena Davis back when Shaw was in charge. It's not helping matters any because what he mostly remembers is falling down after and the near failure of the entire mission. Thankfully, he was able to pull it off…barely.

Now he needs to suck it up and do it again. This time again playing along against 3 of Casey's military buddies he asked to take part in the challenge. _Well played…big guy. Well played._

"Oh ok." Morgan nodded. "What trail?" he inquired attempting to see if any of the three men slip up.

It's at that point, Mackintosh steps forward leading Morgan to turn his attention to him. "The Middle Fork trail. We were there on our way to _Panther Creek_."

"Awesome. What were you going to do there?" he asked. In Morgan's mind, he continued to try to throw them off with questions concerning the landscape of Buckeye Flats. Granted, he didn't know the landscape at all even if it were mapped out on the back of his hand. Yet, he sojourns on knowing Casey's buddies are quite possibly well prepared for any questions that are thrown at them. "Any _interesting sights_ out there in _Panther Creek_?"

"Yeah…" answered Packard getting Morgan's attention this time. "…a canyon wall that falls 100 feet down where it joins the Kaweah River. The Middle Fork Trail passes right above the Falls. Great spot to check out the high view straight down below." he added briefly eyeing his 2 cohorts.

For Packard, he was fully prepared for the possibility of having questions about the lay of the land concerning Buckeye Flats. He did some virtual recon concerning all that he had to know and had his teammates kept up to speed involving the information as well. It's what a soldier is trained to do before hand in order to have one's own surroundings well scouted in case you need to good cover for any possibility of a heavy firefight or in case of a sound retreat.

Plus, the information could come in quite useful as well. In his mind, Casey might have done the same as well. Scouting and plotting cover and exit strategies in cases everything goes to hell he thinks to himself. He wouldn't put it past him to even set some traps in case they were to sneak up on their campsite while asleep. _It's what I would have done if the roles were reversed._

As for Morgan, he once again nods even though he can't confirm nor deny what he said is true or if those places actually exist. So he continues the questions in order to further attempt to slip them up so as to not fail at what he assumes is Casey's latest challenge. "How long is the hike?"

Morgan's attention averts from Packard and Mackintosh since they are the only two that are giving him information. He doesn't really expect the walking tattooed tank to provide any information since he looks to be the muscle of the trio. Unfortunately, he would get a rude awakening when the aforementioned T.I. responds causing him to turn his attention to him.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said…" gruffly answered T.I. "… _a 6-mile hike_. For us, it'll _take 30 minutes_. You…." he stated taking a moment to look Morgan up and down in order to size him up. "… _an hour or so. 2 hours…tops_." he said expressing a back handed smirk down towards the bearded man.

In that moment, Packard once again makes his presence known breaking the concentration Morgan has on T.I. "All right big guy, it's not a competition to see who could last the longest in a 6-mile hike. _Unless_ …" Packard pause in order to turn his head towards the smaller individual standing next to him.

It doesn't take Morgan long to realize a potential challenge within a challenge has just been thrown down. To him, he considers this a pivotal moment in which an important decision is to be made. In a way, it's like choosing a side quest in a video game like that could very well be profitable on your part of a complete waste of time. A decision that could very well decide if accepts it whereby making the test even more complicated for him or continues on with the main test challenge itself. What will he choose to do?

XXX

It seems like forever but Morgan eventually makes a decision. However, before he can open his mouth he suddenly hears laughter. The laughter coming first from Packard then T.I. and Mackintosh joining in as well. This leads to the man with charming smile to step forward in order to face him. "We're just pulling your leg Morgan." he stated flashing a quick wink towards him.

A gradual smile is expressed on Morgan's lips as he too expresses laughter as well. Yet, his laughter is more of being unsure as to whether or not he failed the potential side test within the challenge itself by not accepting sooner. So many questions are swirling within his head that it could explode at any moment. Not in a Scanners type way but rather in a Thunder blowing himself up in the movie Big Trouble In Little China type way after seeing his master Lo Pan dead.

As much as he's giving himself a tremendous headache at the moment, he's thankfully taken out of his mental chaos by Packard who gets his attention by lightly bumping him on his left shoulder with his right. Afterwards, Morgan looks up to see Packard flashing his charming smile at him to which he can't help but be comforted by and at the same time maybe feel a little creeped out by as well.

"Listen, let me help you bring these back to your camp."

"Nah, I can handle it. Besides…" Morgan responded. He motions for Packard to transfer the sticks from his arms into his. "…you _probably_ got something _planned_ before I showed up." he added shrugging his shoulder.

" _Plans change_." Packard firmly retorted with a smile once again. "I…" He stops then continues on. "… _we_ insist." he added with a nod.

It's not long before Morgan gives a cautious nod back as he steps forwards heading back towards his campsite with Packard, T.I., as well Mackintosh in tow. While all 4 men or headed off to their intended location, Casey is sitting on the log he's laid claim to since making camp in front of a once roaring campfire. He doused it out with a mixture of water and sand. Remnants of smoke faintly billowing up and gradually dissipating after being used to cook the fish caught by Morgan Grimes. He has his tactical knife out and has been using it to sharpen one of the ends of the stick with it evident by the small pieced of shaved wood on the ground in front of him.

While doing so, he is both literally and figuratively digesting the outcome of the 2 challenges that he has put in front of his potential son-in-law. If anyone had told him that Morgan Grimes would miraculously pass 2 sure fire challenges that he knew he would fail but actually passed he would have bet his entirely military career. Thankfully that wasn't the case and now that it's happened he has to think of much harder challenge before he gets back.

To him, he truly underestimated the absolute dumb luck the bearded boy blunder has and doesn't want to have that happen a 3rd time. In his mind, he just has to dig deeper in a much more diabolical and not to mention twisted way. A challenge so mental, emotionally, and physically challenging that God himself will have to come down in order to stop Morgan for his own good he thinks to himself.

At the same time, he knows his former teammates are out there waiting to make their move and ready to strike at any moment. He knows that by sending Morgan to get more firewood that leaves him completely out in the open as a potential easy target. However, he doesn't consider himself an easy target whatsoever because he'll most definitely make it difficult for anyone brave or stupid enough for that matter to take him down. In his mind, it's just a matter of taking the bait in order to lure them to where he wants them to go.

Of course, he also planned for the possibility of another scenario. The other scenario in which they capture Morgan and use him as a bargaining chip in order manipulate the situation in their favor. A trade. Morgan for him. Dead or alive. Doesn't matter. All that is really needed is his hand for the palm recognition to open the vault. To him, it was a high risk gamble to send him out there alone as bait and be captured knowing it was part of his plan all along. True, he would certainly have an earful from his own daughter Alex and not to mention Sarah if they knew his true intentions for the camping trip.

 _Do I regret my actions? A little_. _Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Why? It's a necessary evil in my line of work and all for the greater good._ Take action in any way possible and suffer the consequences later he thinks to himself. Truth be told, he has suffered quite of a number of consequences before becoming part of Team Chuck. He deserved most of the them for his past misdeeds and others he wears as a badge of honor.

He can most definitely agree that he has fought and currently is fighting the demons of the past. In whatever form of appearance, he's been tested in every sense of the word over the years and his present situation is no different. Whether it be his former sensei, commanding officer, his former unit or a whole squadron of combatants he'll face them head on till his dying breath he thinks to himself. His thoughts concerning the matter at hand subsequently fade as his attention is focused straight ahead.

In that moment, he slowly stands up with tactical knife tightly gripped in his right hand and the stick with the sharpened end in his left. Why? He sees Morgan emerging into the camp area and he's not alone. His former Buy More green shirt co-worker is being flanked by 3 individuals that he knows all too well and have finally decided to show their ugly mugs. It's at the point, a smirk is expressed in the corner of his mouth as Morgan along with this former teammates approach.

"You _finally_ showed up." Casey grunted.

Morgan is about to respond when Packard steps forward and chimes in. "We missed you too Casey."

In Morgan's mind, he can't help but think while standing there the guy's Casey hired should continue playing along to make his test more believable. To him, it's not awesome whatsoever that they broke character too early. However, it may be a test within a test within a test he thinks to himself. _Oh, you're good Casey_.

Unfortunately, Morgan has no idea what is about to go down as Casey is face to face with his former unit that escaped from a maxim security prison. A highly dangerous trio that is not only out for payback, but want their big pay day is due to them. Ultimately, all hell is about to break loose in a matter of seconds with Morgan in the possible crossfire.

XXX

* * *

 _ **NOTE: SORRY FOR THE DELAY. I'M HOPING TO GET ANOTHER CHAPTER OUT SOON! HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS PARTICULAR ONE! AS ALWAYS PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	13. On Deadly Ground

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Morgan stumbles upon the campsite of Casey's former teammate purely by accident and to mention the trio themselves. After introducing themselves and Morgan _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _hoping he doesn't end up become Ned Beatty's character in the movie Deliverance he finds himself getting to briefly know the 3 men. While speaking with them, it suddenly pops in his mind that this could very well be his 3rd challenge set up by Casey. It's not long before Morgan brings Casey's former teammates to their campsite. This chapter will focus on what happens when former teammates are reunited. What will go down? How is Morgan going to react not knowing the history between them. Also, Chuck makes a brief appearance in this chapter as well. Plus, in what way is Steven Seagal and the movie On Deadly Ground involved in all this. _ _Read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story._____________

 **On Deadly Ground**

XXX

"Nice to see you too." stated Packard. He flashes his charming smile towards the hulking man standing on the other side of the charred out remnants of the campfire. A faint tuft of smoke billowing up then disappearing out of sight.

In that instant Mackintosh chimes in. "Been a long time. How you been Major?"

"It's _Colonel_ now." grunted the grizzled N.S.A. agent.

"Movin' up in the world I see." Packard faintly grinned. A slight nod given in Casey's direction. "At our expense of course." he firmly added with hint of disdain in his voice.

It's at that point, T.I. speaks up. "We were locked up because of you."

Casey doesn't say anything or move one iota for that matter as his attention is transfixed on his former teammates standing across the charred remnants of the campfire. The stick and the knife he's been sharpening with are tightly clutched in both hands. His heightened state of awareness has been raised immensely knowing the reputation the 3 men standing across from him have. To him, anything said or done could most definitely set them off, especially with the temperament T.I. has he thinks to himself.

The grizzled military veteran has to play to it to his advantage in order to get upper hand. Of course, he has been laying out a strategy ever since arriving on the campground yesterday. For him, it wasn't just a totally random pick regarding where they would be staying as he prepared well ahead of time in figuring out lines of sight cover for a potentially hellacious fire fight. Plus, being able to use nature to his advantage in concealing his whereabouts makes it so much more fun for him.

True, it will be fun for him but a completely nightmarish experience for the bearded moron he thinks to himself. The man who amazingly passed 2 of his challenges doesn't have any idea that he's become an unknowing participant and not to mention bait to take down his former teammates. Speaking of Morgan, he totally ignores him standing somewhat in the middle of the intense standoff expressing what seems to be absolute calm. Unfortunately, his calm demeanor won't last long once he finds out what is actually happening right now.

In any case, the former Buy More green shirt thinks what is happening right now is a test. A test to see if he can be able to handle any intense and potentially life-threatening situation placed in front of him. In his mind, he was freak out a bit but he slowly realized that when it comes to a John Casey challenge none can be more challenging than finding one's self in a possibly high risk simulation.

He vividly recalls what Chuck shared with him during his time at The Farm and how they were able to get the remaining recruits to come together. A foothold situation that was considerably tweaked from an episode of Stargate:SG1 and they passed with flying colors. Granted, it did take a while for them to become a team but when it comes to his own situation it's a completely different experience altogether.

While standing there trying not to visibly be entertained and not to mention crack a smile by what's going on, he can't help but think the men Casey hired are really putting 100% effort into their performances. In his mind, even though it's considered a performance he can in some ways feel the immense electrified tension within the surrounding atmosphere. That's how somewhat believable this whole thing is and all for his benefit he thinks to himself.

If this were set as a movie, it would most definitely have a pre douche Steven Seagal On Deadly Ground type feel to it. For the most part, that's the thought running through his mind as he briefly takes the all-around scenery all of them are presently standing in. As he does, he suddenly expresses a faint grin and proceeds to do something as Casey and the 3 of his buddies he hired for his next challenge are giving a considerably stellar performance on his behalf.

He slowly retrieves from his right front pants pocket his Iphone and then nonchalantly turns around. As he's doing this, the silent standoff between the former teammates is broken with Casey speaking up.

"The way I look at it…" He briefly pauses taking a moment to stare down all 3 men across from him. "… you put yourselves in there for betraying your country." he added in a soft, gravelly tone of voice.

Packard smirked in response. " _Betray my ass."_ he calmly stated. " _You…"_ Packard points at him still expressing a smirk towards Casey _. "…_ it was you who _betrayed the team_."

"Now, it's time for payback…" growled T.I. reaching up to crack his fingers along with his neck. "…and a long time comin' for you." he added with an angered tone in his voice.

"We all could have would away _retired_ and _rich_." stated Mackintosh shaking his head. "You just had to be the Boy Scout. Obeying orders like a good little soldier."

"At least I _obeyed_ those orders." grunted the proud Marine.

"And look where that got us huh…" responded Mackintosh. "…an Article 134."

In that instance, the mention of Article 134 disrupts Morgan's focus on whatever he was leading him to do a quick Google search. As he does, the intense and not to mention seemingly electrified silence is so palpable within the campsite that anything could set of a full-scale war that is surely to go down between the teammates. The silence between all 4 men is at a fever patch so much so that T.I. is visibly restraining himself as if he's like a chained up Rottweiler foaming at the mouth. Casey keenly notices him inch forward and is ready to throw down when the sound of Packard's voice break's up the tense standoff.

"You do remember that if the 3 of us ever came together again it would be for your funeral. Guess what. _Today_ is your funeral _._ "The silent standoff continues as he faintly expresses a brief smirk. He continues. " _Unless_ …" he announced somewhat loudly. "We'll give you one last chance Casey." he calmly said with a halfhearted smirk. "We can put the past behind us here and now. We'll even cut you in on a bit of the take."

For Morgan, he gradually turns around and is now completely transfixed with what's going on before him. His Google search reveals that it is military code for the following _: Disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline, discrediting the Armed Forces, and other non-capital offenses or assimilated federal crimes._

Granted, he doesn't know how big of an offense it is but as he continued reading the following 2 words stood out: _court-martial._ While standing there, he once again expresses a faint smirk in the corner of his mouth. Why? In his mind, Casey's really going all out to make his 3rd challenge totally believable by have his military buddies he hired to drop hints that he probably thinks isn't paying attention to even the tiniest of details. _Nice try big guy. I'm on to you._

XXX

"So…" stated Packard flashing his charming smile towards Casey. "…what do you say? Make this easy on yourself." he added expressing a soft chuckle under his breathe.

Casey stands staring down all 3 men but most of all staring down Packard. A visibly smug and not to mention arrogant expression seen all over his face. It's at that point a faint smirk is suddenly expressed in the corner of his mouth.

"Easy is overrated."

"So, it's like that. After _all_ we've been through…" Mackintosh responded shaking his head in disappointment. "…together. _As a team_?"

"Save your lady feelings." growled the proud military vet.

For Morgan, the men standing before are in his mind giving an Oscar Worthy performance. Although, Casey's buddies he hired should amp up the emotional aspect of it all he thinks to himself. If he were the director and channel his inner Steven Spielberg he would most definitely take the guys aside in order for them to give more emotion in a Band of Brothers type of way. In that instance, it's because of that particular thought in which Chuck's hetero life partner takes the initiative to play along. While stepping forward he places his Iphone back in his right front pocket.

"Boys…" he loudly announced getting all 4 men's attention. "…I sense some pent up hostility here." added Morgan reaching up clasping his hands together. His forefingers on both hands pointing up. Afterwards he, briefly taps then places them against his lips. "I know we all just _met_ and all…"

Instantly Casey speaks up. "Grimes, stay out of this."

Morgan expresses a visible smirk this time. To him, he believes he's pushing him to take a more assertive stance and let out his inner alpha male. True, he's been the type of guy to always run away from intense situations because quite frankly he never thought of himself as the big man who has the ability to push back when absolutely provoked to the point of being backed into a corner. Far from it. _Is it due to a lack of male father figure in his life? Maybe._

Of course, he learned the birds and the bees from television, which isn't considered an awesome representation of how to treat women. Hence, his immaturity and sheer irresponsibility of using company computers at Buy More to check out the seductive yet deadly computer virus that is Irene Demova. Granted, he fancied himself a ladies man that he built within his own deluded mind and because of that he pretty much crashes, burned, as well as completely exploded in the female department. All except Alex. He's still truly amazed she's still with him.

For him, he knows he made many boneheaded mistakes in the past because of his selfish and childish antics. Ever since meeting Alex, he's been trying to not only atone for his past, but at the same time redeem himself in order to show or prove for that matter that he has the stones to become the man he's meant to be. A man who can always look in the mirror ever day until the latter years of his life and say to himself with proud confidence the following words: _I Stepped Up When It Counted._ Right now, he's stepping up to this challenge.

However, he's taking a completely different approach that what _Casey and they_ are expecting. " _Listen Casey_ , I know you're looking out for me and my best interests at heart. I can handle this. _Just watch_." he added shooting a wink towards him.

For it's a wink that completely throws off the NSA Agent because on any given day Morgan Grimes would be blabbering like the utter moronic idiot whenever he finds himself in danger. He would certainly be spouting off movie quotes and potentially trip to where he ends up hurting himself falling to the ground. However, he's encountering a totally different person altogether from his standpoint. A guy who is cool, calm, and collected. The complete opposite of how he knows him to be and it is annoying the hell out of him.

"Grimes!" he grunted gnashing his teeth together.

Morgan doesn't even look at Casey. All he does is hold a finger as if to say I have the floor so I'm talking now. As much as he wants to walk over there and grab him by the scruff of his beard he doesn't want to do anything that jeopardizes his safety so much so that he ends up getting killed. _Damn it Grimes!_ For right now, he has to stand cautiously by and when there's a clear opening he'll take the opportunity to make an exit but not before making sure they have a good head start he thinks to himself. His thoughts concerning the matter at hand is interrupted by the sound of Morgan's voice.

" _Listen guys_ …" Morgan stands off to the side a bit closer to Casey's former teammates. "…let's all take a breather here. Are you stressed? It sure does seems like it. How about we all do some deep breathing exercises." As he says that, Morgan leans in a bit and whispers to the 3 men giving the "ok" signal. " _You're doing great. Just amp up the emotion a bit more."_ he suggested nodding his head towards the 3 men. A wink also given to them as well.

Packard, T.I. and Mackintosh are also a bit thrown off at what just happened as they receive a wink from the bearded little man. The 3 men turn to look at each other then at Casey who then turn their attention back at Morgan.

"He must be some kind of new recruit that's being trained out here Casey?" wondered Packard leaning over to T.I.

"He looks too _scrawny_ …" T.I. stated somewhat perplexed. "…and _short._ " he added reaching up to run the back of his neck.

"What's his _pain tolerance_ like?" muttered Mackintosh standing within arm's reach of Morgan.

He continues watching Morgan with his eyes closed performing deep breathing exercises as he reaches behind him retrieving his stun gun that he never got to use. Although it was confiscated after his arrest along with his 2 cohorts, he did make another one with a few modifications to his liking while they were in hiding.

As for Morgan, he's continuing to those aforementioned deep breathing exercises he suddenly feels something pressed up against his forehead. He slowly opens his eyes to find what seems like a gun pressed up against his cranium. At this point, one thought is running through his mind while standing there. _Awesome! Challenge officially amped up!_

XXX

 _Shit!_ It's the first thing that pops in Casey's head as he witnesses the Mackinstosh aim his weapon against the ahead of his daughter's moronic boyfriend. He could be very well be Alex's dead, moronic boyfriend if something or anything sets off Mackintosh to pull the trigger. In his mind, knowing how low key insane he is it wouldn't really take much he thinks to himself. At this very moment, he knows he has to tread lightly and do everything in his power to get Morgan away from his former teammate so the both of them can make their escape.

"Morgan, I _need you_ to step over to me. _Now_." he firmly grunted. Nostrils flaring. Eyes intensely furrowing his eyebrows. The knife and sharpened stick in both hands clutched tighter in his hands.

At this point, a full ere of confidence with added mix of arrogance is expressed on Morgan's face as he stands there enjoying what seems to be the 3rd challenge being amped up in a big way. From his viewpoint, the feeling against his forehead is digging in a bit but it adds to the realism of it all, which is to be expected. His attention on the weapon held by Chuck's somewhat doppelganger is averted over his right shoulder to who he hopes is his future father-in-law.

"Don't worry big guy I got this _handled_." he stated flashing the "ok" signal towards him.

"No. You _don't_ got this handled _idiot_." he growled. His eyebrows intensely furrowed.

In that moment, Morgan steps back, turns and takes a step forward facing Casey. "Oh, I believe I do. Plus, I'm gonna have fun doing it."

Casey instantly arches his right brow confused. More than usual when it involves one Morgan Grimes. "What are you lip smacking about?"

As Morgan and Casey are having their one on one discussion, the trio are somewhat huddled trying to figure out what just is going on. A brief moment of shared silence between the 3 men leading up to T.I. breaking it up.

" _Why don't we just grab the runt_ …" he whisper loudly restraining his anger. "… _and force Casey to come with us_." T.I. added briefly glancing over his right shoulder.

" _I like that plan. I'll go and stun the short guy while you run interference_." Mackintosh whispered back with a crazed smirk on his lips. His eyes widening in a mix of wild and crazed expression reaching up to gaze at his weapon of choice.

The two men are about to turn heading towards Casey and Morgan's location when they're suddenly stopped by Packard. "Hold on." he ordered in a calm tone of voice. A faint smirk appears on his lips once again as he briefly glances at his 2 cohorts then at the 2 men standing several feet away. "Let's do this _cleanly_. Plus, we _don't_ alert any witnesses nearby. If that happens, this place will be crawling with _cleaning crews_. It's what _Casey_ wants. I'm _sure_ of it." he emphasized staring intently at both men. In response T.I. and Mackintosh give a quick nod then watch as Packard is about to step forward then stop himself. " _Here's what we'll do_."

As Packard discusses the plan, Casey is standing in front of Morgan with an ever more irritatingly annoyed expression on his face after listening to his daughter moronic boyfriend. As much as he's trying to focus on Morgan, his focus is also on his former teammates as well making it an incredibly daunting task to undertake. At this point, he's fed up and can't take Morgan's blabbering any longer. So he drops his knife and sharpened stick then quickly grabs Morgan by the front shirt then jerks him forward faster than the former Buy More green shirt could react to it. Now the he's locked eye to eye with him.

" _Listen moron_. Whatever _you think_ is going on _._ Whatever you think _I'm doing_. Drop it because the situation right now is getting serious. So, what _I need you to do_ is get _behind me_." He growled. His face mere inches away from Morgan's to the point where he's almost lifted off the ground. " _Do you understand_? _Nod_ if you do."

After giving a nod, Casey lets go he stumbles a bit but is able to regain his balance. Once he does, he makes his way around the hulking military vet who is at this point glaring at him but then sees that his focus turns towards the 3 men standing behind him. It's not long before he is safely situated behind the NSA Agent and now notices his new "friends" are armed aimed weapons in their direction. In that moment, Morgan has another thought running through his mind. _This is awesome! I'm totally_ going _to put this as my status update on Facebook_. _What movie quote should I use?_

XXX

Chuck is sitting in his office doing some important paperwork on a Sunday afternoon. He put off finishing it to spend Friday and Saturday with his family. A time spent with his wife and son is always awesome he thinks to himself. In any case, , things have been pretty awesome this past week as his company has been busy preparing for a new computer based game to be come out. He's just putting the finishing touches, crossing some t's and dotting some i's as business goes.

While sitting there, he leans forward furrowing his eyebrows at the paperwork in front of him, he's chewing the clicker part of his pen. His focus is sudden interrupted by the sound of a notification coming from his phone. He takes a moment lean back and stretch giving him the opportunity to take a short break. The former nerd herd leader reaches over for Ipone placed on the right hand end of his desk where a framed picture of Sarah holding A.J. sits. Both smiling.

Once he has it, he sees that Morgan has tagged him in a post. A brief chuckle is expressed. "What are you up to now Morg?" he faintly breathed out. He taps the notification and reads the following Facebook status update from his hetero life partner **.** _ **What does it take to change the essence of a man? – Forrest Taft**_

After reading, Chuck sits there for a minute pondering the quote that was clearly from a movie. He continues sitting there racking his brain until it finally hits him. It's from a scene in the movie On Deadly Ground starring Steven Seagal. He knows it all too well since he and Morgan watched back it in the day relentlessly along with his other hits during his big box office days. Now, he's just a douchey straight to Netflix movies guy now.

In any case, a smile is expressed on his lips as he clicks on the comment section and taps the following message: _**A Time To Change. : )**_

After typing out his answer he presses enter. When he does, he hits "like" because he knows that the answer given is seemingly prophetic in a way he thinks to himself. For his bearded best friend there are parallels in that particular scene and what Morgan is going through. The man who wants avoided the journey of responsibility is now going on a somewhat sacred journey of his own. A journey that will be good not just for him but for everyone involved….even Casey. It's that particular thought that makes him faintly laugh thinking about it.

The sound of another notification is heard leading him to peer down to his Iphone screen. He sees that Travis liked his comment then proceeds to see upcoming message. A few second go by then the following message is revealed from his reply: _**You beat me to it!**_

It wasn't long before Captain Awesome's comment pops up. _**Being Healthy and Fit?**_

 _Good ole' Devon_. Always manages to response with his typical thinking that is way off from the actual answer. Granted, he isn't a move buff like Morgan, Trav, and himself. At least he gives it the ole' college try. The "likes" continue to viewed from his Ihpone screen with a few comments, as well as a hearts coming from his Alex he sets his phone down making sure to set it to vibrate mode. This way he can continue working while other people respond to the seemingly cryptic quote.

As Chuck returns to his important paperwork, Casey is standing in front of Morgan with his former teammates aiming their weapons at him on the other side of the non-lit campfire. In typical fashion, Casey is standing there with his left hand at the side of his belt buckle. Left thumb tucked inside. He doesn't say a word but Packard sure does.

"You're in a _no-win situation_ Casey. I figured your play out. You want us to make some noise. That way it alerts the cleaning crew if things get _messy_. Am I right?" he stated aloud. It's not long before he flashes his charming smile towards him. "That _knife and stick down_ there aren't going to help you against _us three_."

Again, Casey doesn't say a word as Morgan continues to stand behind him. He's doing his best not to look to excited as he attempts to put up a convincing fearful façade. His thoughts concerning what he believes is challenge #3 continues on as he hears Chuck's somewhat doppelganger speak up.

"I'm disappointed that I'm not using my weapon of choice. Hey, if things go in our favor and you decide to not cooperate with I will. I'm just itching to use it on you." smirked Mackintosh.

In that instance, T.I. makes his presence known. "More action. Less talking."

A look of sheer steadfast calm is seemingly expressed on Casey's face. Silence still given by him. As a matter of fact, being outnumbers doesn't at all phase him one bit judging from Morgan's standpoint. This leads to all 3 men stepping forward but suddenly stop in their tracks in which expresses faint smile of his own.

"You didn't think I would have a contingency plan for your three stooges in case this happened. Well…" he grunted. "…you were wrong." he added.

Casey's contingency plan, which if it worked, was to have all their eyes on Morgan at the river while he sets up a trap of his own at base camp. It worked and now all three men have lasers trained on them in a semi-circular pattern.

" _Motion sensitive_. _One move_ …" he firmly stated. "…and you're _Swiss_ cheese."

Packard's charming smile somewhat fades as he gives his retort. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" he growled glaring at Packard. Eyebrows furrowed. A look of absolute intensity from his eyes. Afterwards, Casey backs up while continuing to shield Morgan from his former teammates but not before retrieving his knife from the ground. He then briefly glances at Morgan and speaks directly to him. " _Let's go._ "

" _Where?"_

"Just do what I say moron. Go!" he said pointing behind him. "I'll cover your six."

Morgan is about to respond but decides to do what he say for the sake of the challenge he's putting him through. He takes a few steps forward with Casey following suit. Suddenly, Morgan stops then makes a wide turn in order to head back to where Packard, T.I. and Mackintosh are much to amazement of Casey who passes him.

" _You guys are doing a wonderful job. It's so believable_." he quickly said leaning in giving a hidden thumbs up towards them. Unfortunately, his presence would soon be gone as Casey jerks him backwards in the other direction. This leaves the trio with their outstretched arms aiming their weapons in the air while motion sensitive lasers are pointing directly at them.

XXX

* * *

 _ **NOTE: SORRY FOR THE DELAY. FINALLY GOT THIS CHAPTER OUT. HOPE YOU ENJOY IT WTH ACTION PICKING UP MORE IN UPCOMING CHAPTERS! AS ALWAYS PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	14. When Nature Calls

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Casey's and his former teammates come face to face. The atmosphere within the campsite is at a fever pitch unbeknownst to Morgan. Ultimately, it's Casey has laid down a trap for Packard, T.I., and Mackintosh activating motion sensor lasers directed towards the 3 men. This gives Morgan and Casey the perfect opportunity to escape. Will they be able to make it out alive? Will Casey's former teammates end up Swiss cheese if they move? How do the sequel to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective along with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid involved in this particular chapter. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story._____________

 **When Nature Calls**

XXX

" _Pick up the pace Grimes_!" barked out Casey. The hulking government agent shoves Morgan forward with his right hand while nipping at his heels as they both make their escape away from their campsite. A campsite where they left 3 of his former teammates standing motionless. The reason is a laser sight trap with motion sensor according to Casey who set it up just for them.

True, the wily military veteran most definitely set a seemingly well thought out and not to mention secretive trap. So secretive that his three former comrades in arms weren't privy to it because they were too focused on the man who they possibly believed was a potential trainee being recruit for the government. In his mind, it's considered to be an unintentional advantage on his part to say the least.

However, he intentionally put him in harm's way in order to flush out his former comrades at arms so that he able take them down for good. Part of his past that most definitely involve red in his ledger as does the woman who he still considers the best damn partner he has ever had. In any case, despite being the bait he'll certainly try at best to avoid as much collateral damage as it pertains to one Morgan Grimes.

While continuing to nip at the heels of his daughters bearded beau, he can't help but think that the other half of dumber and dumber has truly changed as well. Not by much by his own standards he thinks to himself. Yet, he has grown as an individual when it comes leaving behind the wasteland of utter stupidity that is the Buy More. He had to give to the moron for up and leaving a place that was considered to be his playground in every sense of the word.

A playground that was more about hardly working and goofing off than to work hard in order to achieving rising to the next level. Unfortunately, the next level usually involved schemes, video games, and fooling around with a woman who quite possibly has potential in the agency. _Anna Wu._ He's lost count on the number of times where he's either been threatened with bodily harm, been physically harmed, and/or on the verge of certain deah. Of course, those threats mainly involved Anna.

Thankfully, Anna wised up kicking the deluded dimwit before he ended up dragging her down to rock bottom or wherever/whatever Morgan considered his mind rock bottom to be. He does give the kid credit though for not staying down there long as he picked up himself and moved forward in the direction of success. Granted, that success he would be heading towards is on the coattails of one Chuck Bartrowski.

Yet, to his surprise he's been able to carve out a life for himself that doesn't involved Jeff and Lester. Those 3 were overly attached to the hip but that attachment would soon be cut off as he gradually witnessed the look of something seen in his eyes that he's never seen before. A look of sheer determination and have the stones to not back down when things get serious like he has done in the past. It's scary to even think or even utter the words but he's absolutely proud of him, which he will never say out loud to him..ever. In his mind, just like Bartowski the bearded boy blunder has made an impression him in the worst way.

He's made him somewhat like him and as much as thought particular though makes him want to puke right now it's the truth. To him, he has to face the fact that everything changed for him the moment he found out he was a father to Alex. Truth be told, the changes were gradual as he slowly found himself enjoying being a team with a former female rival and a person who was a nobody that ended up becoming an awesome spy.

Chuck's influence has rubbed off on him despite trying so very hard not to show it, which also applies to his moronic best friend as well. After joining Keller's team, the man known as Alex Coburn gradually became hardnosed, no nonsense John Casey who shut his lady feeling off completely. It wasn't until that he met and gotten to know his target one Chuck Bartoswki that a small part of Alex Coburn began resurfacing.

Of course, he did his best to avoid reintroducing himself to "that guy" at every opportunity but it gradually become difficult the more he was around the youngest Bartowski sibling. It became apparent to him that Alex Coburn completely resurfaced when the woman who he was going to propose to at the bus station before he left to boot camp. More importantly, the moment his daughter Alex appeared brushing past him in order to get to her mother instantly brought him back to the man years ago standing at the bus station.

In his mind, as much as he hates showing weakness in the form of his lady feelings he is glad that he it brought something back. What it brought back was a hope for a future for a man who has once again embraced a part of himself who he thought would be long dead and not to mention forgotten. A man who he in a sense killed off and buried to become a ruthlessly, cold soldier that obeyed orders without any questions whatsoever.

For the most part, his reputation as the cold school is something that will always stick with him and along with that are his methods. Methods that for any potential foe thinking about facing him shaking in their boots depending on the level of opposition he'll be up against. As much as his strategy to lure his former teammates out into the open worked, he hopes his diversion gives him just enough wiggle room to bring the advantage to his favor.

His thoughts concerning that matter at hand abruptly end when Morgan sudden stops in from him causing the hulking government agent to knock him down to the ground. True, it doesn't faze Casey one bit as he just stands there towering over the little beard man. While turning over to look up at him his future father-in-law he's engulfed in the seemingly massive shadow.

"Why'd you stop moron!?" he growled. In that instance, Casey reaches down, grabs him with his right hand, and yanks him up into a standing position.

It doesn't take long for Morgan to recover from being hit from behind by the massive truck known as John Casey. "Where are we going exactly?"

After expressing an annoyed grunt, he takes a quick look behind him then peers down at Morgan. "Exit strategy."

"Exit strategy?" Morgan replied. "I know we're on _The Middle Fork Trail_ because we just ran past the sign big guy." he added pointing behind him.

"Nice to know you were paying attention Grimes." grunted Casey somewhat out of breath.

Morgan shrugs his shoulders expressing a hint of a smirk. "I have my moments." he nodded. "So, are we headed to _The Falls_?".

Instantly, Casey's right eyebrow arches. As much as he wants to know how he knows about the location of his exit strategy he grunts it off. "We got to head to some high ground. So move it!"

Upon hearing that, Morgan's eyebrows shoot straight up. "Awesome. Like in _Revenge of the Sith_. _Obi Wan_ had _the high ground on Anakin_ in the _volcano island on Mustafar_." he stated with amused excitement in his voice.

For Casey, he so wants to slap the back of Morgan's head at that moment but he is far too concerned with his former teammates catching up to the two of them to even bother. His attention on his former Buy More green shirt co-worker turns behind him. It wouldn't be long before the voice of Morgan Grimes captures his attention once again.

" _No sound of gunfire. I guess they're still standing there_."

"Won't be for long." growled Casey turning around. "Let's go. _Move it!_ " he stated with haste shoving Morgan forward.

"Why? I thought it was _a perfect set up_ for a trap you set for them." Morgan responded running forward.

" _It just to slow them down. Just a diversionary tactic_." he growled once again.

Morgan's curiosity gets the better of him after hearing the words "diversionary tactic". " _What do you mean_?" he hollered back.

XXX

For the past 5 minutes, Packard along with T.I. and Mackintosh have been standing in the spot. Their right arms still outstretched and locked into placed due to the motion sensor laser sight trap set up one John Casey. For the man who has flashed his ever so familiar charming smile is been replaced with an absolute stone cold serious expression. Eyebrows furrowed, his baby blue eyes emanating a look intensity, and slight beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

To Packard, he had to hand it to Casey for somehow being able to get the attention of their former team leader on to the little bearded guy. Granted, for a big guy he's not hard to miss and for the most part can stand out like a sour thumb. On the other hand, when it comes to Casey's bark he can most definitely can vouch that he can back up anything he says because he isn't the type of person to bluff his way out of a situation. It's not his style he thinks to himself.

In his mind, he's always been the take action and continue to action to where there are no questions asked later. In the other words, his bite does the talking for him. In any case, as dangerous as he is when he turns into the cold school killer he's known for by reputation his sense of sheer focus when it comes to anything he does in order to psychologically intimidate in order to get the upper hand is something that he is very skilled at. It's not something you're taught at the academy or the agency. It's something learned and honed over time.

For Packard, he knows that he's going to half to a very risk and calculated risk. It's a risk that if he gets wrong then he and his comrades in arms will pay the price. Thinking about it further, it may lead to possibly suffering minimal damage depending on how fast they can get out there or not. However, if he's right then they weren't half as prepared as they thought they were because of putting their focus on the wrong individual.

 _No time to kick myself in the ass._ It's the one thought that pops into his mind as he prepares himself for what may or may not happen next. In that instance, his entire body tenses up and afterwards breaks up the silence within the campsite.

" _Follow my lead_." He slowly stated.

After saying that, Packard suddenly takes a step forward and when he does he fully expects to be riddle with bullets. Instead, there is absolute silence as he glances over either shoulder knowing what is about to happen next. The two men behind also realize that Casey has pulled one over on them by bluffing them into think that they were in a trap that they could never get up. However, thanks to the risky instance of Packard they find themselves not only a bit embarrassed, but really to take out their humiliation on their crafty former team leader.

It's at that point, Mackintosh speaks up. "How far do you think they've gotten?" he said stepping forward standing by Packard's side.

"Does it matter?" he responded calmly staring straight ahead.

Afterwards his other teammate makes his large presence known. "Any idea where they're going?" wondered T.I. stepping forward as well. He stands on the other side of Packard reaching up to crack his knuckles while continuing to hold his weapon.

"I do." he retorted once again. After a brief moment of silence, he continues on. "Let's go!" he stated with a tone of retribution in his voice.

XXX

" _So wait_ …" an out of breath Morgan called out. He continues running while Casey is closely trailing behind him. "… _it was all a bluff_!? _It's so_ …"

" _What_..." grunted loudly Casey. "… _so what_?" he inquired with annoyed curiosity.

" _So NOT like you big guy_!" he responded back. " _The real Casey would have_ _put a tranq in all 3 of them and maybe even broken their necks in the process. You know go all Rambo on them._ "

" _I AM the real Casey. Always have been_." He growled back. " _Always will be_." After a brief moment of silence he speaks up once again. " _Just keep moving Grimes_!"

For Morgan, he can't help but think this is once again part of the challenge he's being put through. To him, Casey's always been a shoot first and ask questions type of guy. Instead, he just left all 3 men conscious in a highly devised trap that was set without his knowledge whatsoever he thinks to himself. The " _old Casey_ " would have immediately knocked all 3 men out in order to not have them get the upper hand in order to avoid being taken down.

 _Strike first. It shows the element of surprise._ It's what he recalls Casey mentioning in general conversation during a Bartowski/Woodcomb/Riley get together. Granted, it wasn't really part of the topic of conversation and somehow he ends up bring up tactics and strategy regarding how to best defend yourself in case you're attacked or come face to face with an enemy combatant. Of course, it leaves those in the room somewhat speechless but at the same time are used to it by now.

Yet, from what he's learned over the years from who he hopes is his future father-in-law is that by striking first you avoid the risk or getting shot, tazed, tranqued, and/or knocked out. This leads back to allowing them to conscious when they made their escape because either one of them could have gotten shot with a tranq. True, the situation would most definitely be an intensity dangerous as they make their way towards their intended location of escape while fighting the effects of the tranq dart injected into them.

It's that particular thought in which he suddenly finds himself thinking about the jungle scene from the movie Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls played hysterically brilliant by Jim Carrey. The scene in question is Ace walking through the woods when all of a sudden a tranq dart hits him. A few moments later he is hit with another one. It's at that point he runs away in order to not be hit again but does after hiding behind a tree. A truly funny scene for any Jim Carrey fan he thinks to himself.

However, the situation is a complete opposite to what he and Casey are going through. Of course, if this were on a movie set right now they wouldn't have to be worried about 3 dangerous men with a military training background. A trio of men who quite possibly know their former teammate and leader completely bluffed of threat directed towards them. While continuing to run forward, he can't help but experience an intense heightened state of awareness of surroundings, especially in the direction located behind him. As much as he wants to a quick look over his shoulder, he knows he'll get checked out by Casey.

However, it's that same thought process where it also leads him to believe it's for his own benefit as it pertains to Casey challenging him to keep his wits about him. In other words, keep your guard up and be prepared for anything that could very well go down at the drop of a hat he thinks to himself. He knows the challenges he's faced so far have put him through the mental, physical, and not mention emotional ringer in more ways than one.

Essentially, he's now presently a part of this 3 challenge put together by a very crafty teacher who is potentially evaluating him to see how he would react in a high pressure situation. A high-pressure situation as in comparison to maybe Alex in the delivery room giving birth to their first child. The all out mental, physical, and emotional chaotic battle of staying calm in a supportive way while your best friend for life is being bombarded, as well as attacked by excruciating pain, which is a considered to be an awesome teaching method with overtly teach it.

A faint smirk of appreciation is expressed on his lips knowing that by Casey teaching in his own sense of style, he's quintessentially providing with the tools to help him a become a much better man, husband, and as a father someday. Thinking back on it, he's been doing is since the day he met the hulking NSA Agent by way of setting an example of being a hard-nosed individual all those years at Buy More.

In his mind, their seemingly rocky relationship from day 1 and the days afterwards was most certainly a challenge itself. For the most part, it wasn't until meeting Alex that he finally received the wakeup call he truly needed thus setting on a path that would eventually lead him to where is he is now. A journey of self-discovery, self-worth, and being able to prove that he can overcome any obstacle that comes his way with the right incentive to work hard for.

It's that particular though in which it gives him a much stronger drive and determination to be the guy that Casey can proud of not just as a man, but a man who he can proudly call his son-in-law. A guy who in the past who completely avoid and truth be told ran away from any kind of threat of potential danger that either he causes or was a part of. Ultimately, he's finding himself in all intents and purposes standing on the precipice of greatness that is manhood.

He just needs that one big push whatever it may be to achieve the finality of where he should be. Unfortunately, he doesn't know the what, who, when, and not to mention where it will happen. It's just a matter a being full prepared and take absolute notice of the opportunity when it actually presents itself he thinks to himself. His thought's concerning the matter subside whereby leading him to give a brief glance behind him then averts his attention forward.

" _Thanks Casey_." he faintly muttered under his breath.

XXX

Casey and Moran finally reach their intended destination. The two out of breath from running. The Edge of The Fall by way of the Middle Fork Trail where they were previously running on. While standing at the Edge, Casey momentarily peers down at the cascading waters below if he's mentally calculating/assessing the height to fall ratio, which he's probably done a million times before in the past. While he is doing that, Morgan is bent over sucking in air after pushing himself to run even faster.

It's not long before he notices a large tree to his right that he can lean on to rest a bit. After sidestepping towards the aforementioned tree, he takes the moment to lean back expressing a sigh of relief knowing how much of the run took it out of him. In his mind, he has never ran that much in his life except for the times he quickly made his exit the times Big Mike was pissed at him for anything that he did or may have been involved in during his time at Buy More.

In any case, after taking a much needed breather he makes the decision to take out of his Iphone. Afterwards, he scrolls through the pictures he took down at the campsite where the standoff ensued. In that instance, a smile appears as he begins to upload those pictures to his album on Facebook making sure to tag his family and fiend so that they know he's having an awesome time camping. He notices the pictures aren't uploading as fast probably due to the fact there isn't enough a strong enough cell reception where they are located at right.

His attention on his Ipone is suddenly broken by a nearby by grunt. " _What are you doing_?"

Morgan lifts his head noticing Casey is standing right in front of him. A scowl of annoyed, agitation expressed on his face. In responses, he pushes himself forward then sidesteps to his left in order to free himself from the somewhat menacing presence of the hulking marine hovering over him like a helicopter parent. After backing up a few steps, he holds up his Iphone and speaks up.

"Just sharing all the fun." he smiled. Morgan then lifts his phone up at Casey. "Say cheese…" Morgan pauses for a moment then continues on. "…. _better yet._ Black and bitter coffee big guy!" he happily requested.

Casey is about to angrily respond when a shot is fired off hitting the ground near them. Casey turns his attention to the trail and looks down immediately noticing his former teammates running towards them. Their weapons with fire suppressor attachments to avoid loud gunfire to attract any kind of unwanted attention. In that instance, he grabs Morgan by the shirt collar and jerks towards the same tree he was leaning on for cover causing him to drop his phone in the process.

As for Casey himself, he reaches behind him brandishing his firearm. He fires off a couple rounds in their direction causing the three men to scatter to the sides for cover. For the experienced military veteran he kept it hidden until he absolutely needed it and now is the right time as any to use it. After firing off 3 more rounds, his attention is averted towards Morgan who he has pinned against the tree with his massive forearm.

" _When I say 3_ …" growled Casey. "…you're gonna run then jump. _You got me_." he add staring menacingly down to him. His eyes emanating absolute seriousness within them.

A perplexed look washes all over Morgan's face. "Where?" he wondered.

"Behind me. _Don't think_. _Just jump_!"

In that moment, Morgan leans over slightly to his left as he looks in the direction of where Casey said to jump. The same direction of the cliff. "SERIOUSLY!? You want me to do a _Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid_? What if I…" he momentarily pauses then takes a big gulp. "… _die_?"

" _You'll die up here moron, if you don't do what I say_!" he angrily responded pressing his forearm harder against Morgan's chest. " _Now go! I'll be right behind you_!" he commanded. "I'll cover you!" Casey added locking eyes with the little bearded man. "Go!" It's at the point, Casey steps back yanking Mogan forward in order to get him moving.

As he somewhat stumbles forward, he eventually gets his momentum going but then notices his phone just off to the side. It's at the point, he goes for it by reaching down and momentarily stopping to grab it. Unfortunately, he's too preoccupied with grabbing his phone to notice Casey quickly approaching from behind him with his attention focusing the other way. What comes next is a massive collision with Casey knocking Morgan to the ground to where Casey stumbles over him. He then barrel rolls a few feet away from the edge of the cliff.

He's stunned from the collision but not too stunned that he doesn't know where's he's at it. He quickly shakes the cobwebs out and looks up. When he does, he witness Morgan picking himself off the ground noticeably shaken up for the collision. He then sees him look in his direction is about to heard to him when he suddenly notices Morgan go completely stiff then fall to the ground.

" _GRIMES_!" he screamed. Casey watches as Morgan drop to his knees then fall forward to his face.

It's at the point, Casey pushes himself to standing position and still focused on Morgan's unconscious body. It would be a grave mistake on his part as he finds himself smashed head on by a massive blow causing him to be hurled backwards. For the NSA Agent, it just a mere moment to notice that it was T.I. who smashed into him. The next thing he knows, is that he's free falling down fast. It seems like forever but Casey finally hits and disappears into waters below.

Meanwhile, T.I. stands at the edge of the cliff expressing a smirk. He's not alone as Packard then Mackintosh stand on either side of him looking down as well. All 3 men peer down transfixed on the spot where Casey hit the water as if they're waiting for him to pop out. After a while of not seeing him do so, Packard speak up.

"Grab the little guy." he ordered turning around. Afterwards, he reaches then walks past the prone, unconscious body of Morgan. His phone just within reach but not in his hand.

"What about Casey? Think he's dead?" hollered T.I. He briefly turns around taking a moment to look down at the waters where their former teammates did his crashed down into.

" _Knowing him, the stubborn bastard's alive. He'll come to us_." he hollered back continuing to walk away.

There is a brief moment of silence but that would quickly end as Mackintosh speaks up. "At least I got to use my stun gun." he methodically smiled lifting it up to eye level.

Upon saying that, T.I. walks over and grabs Morgan's unconscious body then slings over his left should as if he were a rag doll. It's not long before he and Mackintosh follow suit in the direction where Packard walk off. As they do, a faint sound of a bell is faintly ringing. That faint rining sound is coming from Morgan's phone signaling that his photos have been uploaded.

At the same time that happens, Chuck walks in through the front door of Casa Bartowski where he is greeted by a handful of women. Yet, it's Sarah who steps up and greets her nerdy husband with a kiss while holding A.J. in her right arm.

"Did you finish up the important paperwork?"

"Yes ma'am. _Finally._ Glad to be home." happily smiled Chuck. He takes the opportunity to kiss his blonde wife one more time then gently kiss the top of his son's head.

Afterwards, he acknowledges his older sister Ellie, his niece Clara sitting on the floor playing, Shannon with Wesley in her arms, and finally Alex. Chuck sets his brief case down and is about to reach for his son A.J. when he suddenly hears the familiar sound of a Facebook notification bell. However, it's not just coming from his phone as the notification sound is also being heard from the phones of all 4 ladies within the Bartowski living room as well.

For Chuck, he instantly knows its another status update or uploaded picture from Morgan so he makes the decision to not take his phone out of his pocket. He figures he'll look at later. Right now, he wants to spend some quality time with his son. After reaching for and finally holding his son, it's Alex getting the attention of everyone in the room as she can't help but be amused by the pictures that she's looking at on her phone by expressing a bit of a chuckle.

This leads Chuck to speak up. "So, what's Morgan up to this time?" he wondered expressing an amused smile.

After a brief pause with Ellie and Shannon congregating on either side of her, Alex gives her response. "Morgan captioned the pic: _Made new friends_."

In that instance, Alex walks over holding her phone up in front of Chuck. When she does, a familiar sensation is felt that comes over him. His eyes begin to flutter and begins to see the following images:

 _The image of a camel in desert oasis…_

 _Former President Bill Clinton…_

 _File with the words TOP SECRET in red…_

 _Documents with the words COURT MARTIAL AND PRISON…_

 _Images of gold and money…_

 _A photo of Casey standing by the same 3 men armed in Morgan's photo…_

 _The image of a camel in a desert oasis…_

Once the flash is over, his eyes blink repeatedly then stumbles back a bit causing him to loosen his grip on his son. Thankfully, Sarah was right there to take her son and immediately notice what just happened.

" _Chuck_ …" she called out with concern. "… _babe_!?. You all right? _You flashed_ didn't you?"

"You okay little brother. Talk to me." Ellie responded going into big sister mode. A look of grate concern on her face.

" _Wow, so that's the flash Morgan talks about_." Alex said standing by Shannon. " _Looks painful_."

" _It does_ _."_ nodded Shannon she whispered back. _"_ _Travis talked about it and described it to me the first time he saw it_. _I guess its my turn now finally seeing it_."

After taking a moment to shakes his head, he gets his bearings and immediately focuses on Sarah. "Casey and Morgan are in trouble." he stated gradually turning his attention to Alex.

The moment he said that, Alex's eyes widen. Afterwards, she faintly breathes out to words. _Oh no_.

XXX

* * *

 _ **NOTE: THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE GUYS! HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS LATEST CHAPTER. HOPING TO GET OUT THE NEXT CHAPTER SOON! AS ALWAYS GIVE A REVIEW!**_


	15. Standing Strong

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Casey and Morgan are at standoff with the Colonel's former teammates. They were able to make their escape thanks to a crafty bluff by the experienced military vet using motion sensitive laser lights to literally stop Packard, T.I. and Mackintosh in their tracks. The trio were able to figure it out the ruse and immediately went after the two men. It culminated with Casey and Morgan attempting to jump off The Fall by way of the Middle Fork Trail. Unfortunately, it failed as Morgan was tased and Casey was tackled head on football style by T.I. causing to him be launched backward then down to the waters below. This leads to Alex showing Chuck a pic sent by Morgan before failed jump that he flashes on. What happens now? How does the Keymaster and the Gatekeeper from Ghostbusters relate to this story? Is it even important. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story._____________

 **Standing Strong**

 **XXX**

The news that Casey and Morgan were danger caused the atmosphere within the living room of Casa Bartowski to suddenly go from jovially fun to silently serious. The body language each of the individuals standing there in a considerably relaxed position tightened up very quickly as Chuck regained his focused after experiencing a flash. A flash that he hadn't experienced or wasn't fully prepared for evident by the way he's rubbing his eyes, as well as massaging the bridge of his nose. 3 months to be exact.

In any case, it leads the former nerd herd leader to back up and take seat on the edge of the living room coffee table. After taking a few deep breaths, he takes a moment to blinks his eyes open then locks eyes with his sister Ellie. She takes a moment to check on Clara before giving her younger brother a quick medical exam. The eldest Bartowski sibling kneels in front of him and then proceeds go into doctor mode as she reaches up placing her right finger a few inches away from her little brother's eyes.

"How many fingers little brother?".

Chuck is momentarily silent then gives his response. "One. I'm fine since. Just got caught off guard. That's all."

"I know. Precautionary measures. It's the doctor in me." She retorted with concern placing her right hand on her brother's left shoulder. "I'm always curious about the after effects on your brain post flash."

In that instance Chuck arches his right brow and expresses a faint chuckle. "All right Dr. Egon Spengler. Do you also want to put a metal helmet with wires attached to do test to see if I'm the Keymaster as well? _I assure you_ I'm not going to go out wandering around Santa Montica and find the _Gatekeeper_."

Ellie just stares at her little brother for moment. Afterwards she rolls her eyes then speaks up. "Really? A Ghostbusters reference right now."

"Hey you set it up…" answered Chuck. "...and I went for it sis." jokingly grinned the lanky business owner.

The light ribbing between the 2 Bartowski siblings would subsequently be broken up by a female voice. " _This is serious babe_."

Chuck and Ellie turn their attention to the voice in question. It's Sarah who is continuing to hold A.J. in her arms. The concern on her face as she continues to observe her brother being looked at by her sister-in-law. For Sarah, she knows it's not the type to take things lightly knowing how her husband has a tendency to break the tension by trying to be funny.

He's about to respond to his blonde beauty when Alex steps forward and speaks up. " _She's right_ Chuck. _How_ serious is it for my _dad_ and _Morgan_?" she inquired crossing her arms. " _Give it to me straight_. I'm _used to_ the dangers you guys and my especially dad go through. I can handle it. _Trust me_."

While sitting at the edge of the living room coffee table, Chuck peers up the daughter of his former hulking Team Chuck member. In his mind, it's not the time for jokes knowing that Alex is very worried about the 2 men in her life that she most definitely loves with all her heart. Essentially, it a shared love that is the same but far different when it involves the relationship aspect between the 3 of them.

Casey, the father she has been strongly reconnecting with after so many years and finding out in such a shockingly complicated way that he didn't really die while fighting for his country no less. Yet, in the whole scheme of things he did in a way die as Alex Coburn got officially "killed in action" while in action in Honduras only to be reborn as John Casey thanks to his former commanding officer the late Col. James Keller.

Of course, she doesn't want to have the strong connection ever to be severed again because from what he can tell Alex has gradually changed him for the better. The father-daughter interaction, though it may seem insignificant to some, are extremely meaningful and not to mention heartfelt not just for her but for Casey as well. True, he may not show it outwardly the effect can certainly be witnessed on the inside he thinks to himself.

As for Morgan, the love she has for him is the same but totally different. For her, it's a dynamic that based off of friendship and mutual understanding between the two of them. In her mind, the young woman has the ability to see the man who he wants to become when he's with her. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case with Anna who just say a childish man boy who never really wanted to grow up or actually be in a mature relationship. Now he is.

To him, Alex has changed his hetero life partner for the better. He's gotten more focused, determined, and planning for the future. However, the same can be said Alex being changed by his bearded best friend for life. It's not that hard to notice the twinkle in her eyes every time she looks at him. A look of unconditional love that she alone can truly understand knowing the two of them have been through so much during their time together.

In that instance, Chuck stands up inevitably peering down at Alex. He locks eyes with her clearly seeing the ever so familiar Casey stare directed towards him. Like father like daughter he thinks to himself. After taking a brief moment, he reaches up with both hands gently placing them on both sides of her arms.

"It's Casey's former teammates. They were put on trial and then court martialed. They blame your dad even though they put themselves in that situation from what I was able to gather." he calmly explained.

"It was my dad who took them down. Right?" Alex inquired. Her focus never breaking as she completely locked in with the man standing in front of her.

Chuck nods. Afterwards, he takes a deep breath then continues. "Yeah. Something to do with money or gold somewhere in the Zargos Mountains of Iran."

"Anything else?" Alex asked furrowing her eyebrows. "I know there's more. Just say it."

"I don't…"

Alex instantly cuts him off and reiterates her question. " _What else_?"

As much as he wants to break eye contact with her, he can't and makes the decision to tell her. "One of the statements made was that the only way they would ever see Casey again was at his funeral." he responded with some hesitance on his part.

Upon saying that, Chuck could clearly see the immense impact it has on her. However, she doesn't collapse to her knees nor does she cry. Instead, she simply nods and the briefly looks down. It's not long before she lifts her head and locks eyes with him once again.

"Ok. What happens next?" she calmly asked.

"We get answers." firmly nodded Chuck.

"How?" wondered Shannon. She takes that moment to readjust how he's hold Wesley in her arms.

In that moment, Chuck looks over to his right and leans over reaching for an electronic device sitting on the shelf of the home entertainment system. He points it at his flatscreen tv then punches a few numbers into the device. It's not long before the image of General Beckman is on screen.

" _Mr. Bartowski. This is surprise. How may I help you_?"

Chuck nods. "Sorry to contact you out of the blue like this General…"

At this point, Alex steps forward from behind Chuck in order to make her presence known and cuts off Chuck. "What's going on with Morgan and my father!?"

The sudden outburst causes everyone within the living room to be utterly surprised and shocked by Alex's actions. The young man woman stands in front of the screen and encounters for the very first time her father's boss. A woman who has given him orders and for the most part followed them to the letter of the law. For Chuck, he can't help but stand there rendered somewhat speechless as his attention goes back and forth from General Beckman to Alex.

 **XXX**

 **Beckman's Point of View**

" _Tell me_!" Alex demanded standing in front of the screen. A look of absolute seriousness and determination on her face.

" _Oh boy_." Chuck faintly muttered.

" _Alex_!" called out Sarah off screen.

Instantly, the former C.I.A. Agent steps into view and in doing so hands over A.J. to Chuck without looking, which took him by complete surprise. This causes the success business owner to stumble back a bit out of the view of General Beckman as she now witnesses Sarah along with 2 other women one of which is holding a baby in the background converge on the demanding young woman.

General Beckman is briefly thrown off by what is going on that it takes her a moment to digest what the hell is going on. All she knows is that Chuck contacts her after going silent for quite some time and then chaos erupts within a matter of seconds. While sitting there behind her desk in her office located in DNI on the east coast, she arches her right brow and proceeds to try to settle things down before the situation on screen escalates any further.

"Excuse me!" yelled General Beckman.

Unfortunately, her first attempt fails as the 3 woman on screen are too preoccupied with trying to settle down the young woman they have surrounded. Undaunted, she tries again as she is about to yell once more to get their attention but sudden image of Chuck with his back momentarily turned appears on screen. He then spins around holding her Godson A.J. in her arms. She can clearly see the oh so familiar look she used to see back in the day when Chuck started out working or forced to work with her along with Langston Graham.

As much as she wants to express a faint grin for nostalgic sake, she restrains herself from doing so. She steels herself with absolute professionalism on her part and speaks up. "Mr. Bartwoski. Care to explain?"

" _Yeah_ …" responded Chuck briefly looking behind him. "… _sorry about that General_." Clearly flustered, the happily married man tries to de-escalate the situation by taking the away from what's going on behind him by focusing it on his son. He reaches up to lift his sons' left arm to wave at her Godmother. " _Hi Auntie Diane_."

In that instance, General Beckman can't help but express a smile as she succumbs to the cuteness overload of her Godson A.J. Bartowski. She waves back but after a few seconds her face quickly falls flat. Her attention on A.J. averts to Chuck.

"Mr. Bartowski."

Chuck immediately straights up but not before signaling Ellie who quickly reaches for her nephew. Afterwards, she disappears off screen leaving Chuck standing there on screen with his back turned once again.

At this point, General Beckman's patience is running thin causing her to slam her hand on to her desk. "CHUCK!"

" _Yes ma'am_!" he answered spinning around immediately. He takes a quick moment to compose himself as Sarah and the young woman in question appear on screen as well. "General, this is _Alex_. Casey's daughter."

"Ms. McHugh. It's a pleasure to meet you. Your father speaks very highly of you." she nodded.

" _About that_ …" stated Alex. "… _is he in danger_? _Morgan too_?" she added crossing her arms.

Beckman is momentarily silent. In her mind, giving out sensitive information will in all likelihood put a greater amount of risk into the already dangerous situation that's happened. Experience has taught her to reveal as little as possible so that she is able to keep whoever, as well as whatever in control even if it means stretching the truth.

"I don't understand. What makes you think your father and Mr. Grimes are in any kind of danger?"

" _Don't lie to me_!" huffed Alex. " _Chuck flashed on a picture Morgan sent during his camping trip with my dad_." she added pointing to her left.

Upon hearing the word "flash" Beckman's attention immediately zeroed in on the man who didn't want to work as a spy in the beginning. Her right brow arches as she repositions herself in her office chair behind her desk. It wouldn't be long before she briefly looks down tapping her fingers on her desk, takes a deep breathe, and then looks straight into the screen. "What do you know?"

" _Casey's former teammates are involved_." Sarah chimed in.

" _T.I., Mackintosh, and Packard. They were tried and court martialed. Something to do with the attempt to steal money or gold_." Chuck added.

" _Is he right_?" inquired Alex.

The tiny red headed General let's those 3 words sink in. For her, she could do her job and deny the information provided by Chuck thanks to The Intersect or be truthful. In the past, she would have chosen the former but things have change immensely in the last few years. She chooses the latter instead knowing that being able to quickly asses the young women on screen she's tough like her father. A woman who is capable of standing strong in difficult time such as this.

"He's right. Casey and his former teammates were on a mission somewhere in the Zargos Mountains."

" _In the Iranian dessert_."

"You are correct Mr. Bartowski."

" _What about the money and gold? Was it confiscated_?" inquired Sarah.

"Negative. _According to Casey_ , he replaced the opening mechanism with a _hand print scanner_ so that the vault would only be accessed by _him only_. Which means…"

Chuck interjects. " _Which means_ , _Morgan is potentially being used as a bargaining chip to get gain entry into that vault_."

" _Affirmative_ Mr. Bartowski. Unfortunately, Casey is the _only one_ that knows the location of the vault. _He_ thought it best to keep it that way."

" _If that's the case, then we know what Casey's former teammate's plan are. That's the good news_."

" _What's the bad news_?" wondered Alex.

" _The exact location of the vault. It'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack if the needle were buried in desert_." answered Chuck shaking his head.

There a momentary hush within the living upon that bit of unfortunate news. It's not long before Sarah speaks up.

" _Why weren't we notified about this General_?"

"Casey made the judgement call. He wanted to deal with it himself and not get anyone else involved. His mess to clean up." explained Beckman.

A faint chuckle is express by Chuck. " _That's Casey for you. Wanting things down his way_."

" _When I see him I'm going to kick his ass_."

" _You have to get in line because I'm kicking his ass first_." stated Alex responding to Sarah. Her attention on the former wild card enforcer to the late Langston Graham turns from Sarah to the woman currently sitting behind her desk. " _General Beckman_ , _is it true the only way they would ever see my dad again was at his funeral_?"

After saying that, Beckman watches as Casey's daughter is being supported by not just Chuck and Sarah. The appearance of Ellie and Shannon come into view as well. She can't help but have considerable comfort in the knowledge that friend and family are by her side during this trying time. The dangerous situation regarding her father and boyfriend are a complete unknown to her and yet is staying strong the best as she possibly can. In her mind that is absolutely commendable.

"Yes it is Alex. I _assure you_ I'm doing _all I can_. I've been _keeping close tabs_ on him since he made the decision to do this alone. Monitoring the situation as best I can with my people."

" _That's the thing though_ …" chimed in Alex. "… _he's not alone_. _Morgan is with him_."

Beckman is about to respond her office phone beeps leading her to answer it by reaching over to press a button. "Yes?"

" _Ma'am, you wanted to be kept apprise of the surveillance involving Agent Casey."_

 _"_ Affirmative. What's the situation? _"_

 _"There has been chatter that reports of gunfire has been heard in the area of Agent Casey's location_."

Upon hearing that, General Beckman turns her attention to the screen where she witness a mixture of emotions expressed on the faces of those on the screen. None more concerned than Casey's daughter Alex as she can clearly tell she is staying strong but at the same time fighting back tears. In her mind, the situation has gone from troublesome to a level 1 priority.

 **XXX**

" _Thank you. Continue to keep me informed. That's an order_." she stated on screen.

"Yes ma'am."

After pressing the button to end the call, she returns her attention to the individuals on the screen. She takes a moment to find the correct words to say but she knows anything she says will make the situation even more worrisome for all of them, especially for Casey's daughter Alex. Instead, she's fully aware what her former 2 former subordinates are possibly going to do since they have the tendency to do opposite of what was ordered in a very unorthodox way.

Of course, unorthodox usually means considerable amount of destruction and not to mention explosions involved. In the beginning, it was a very big headache for her reading the reports of the aftermath of a completed mission in which half or practically most of a building/facility was demolished due to their reckless actions. Now, it's considered par for the course and truth be told misses those types of report since her team disbanded leaving with just a team of 1.

Yet, despite all the headaches she's experienced over the years involving the orders disobeyed and repercussions afterwards of their actions she is proud they're still a team of sorts. A team of different dynamic who will always have each other's back no matter the situation calls for. It's a team who has the ability to creative and most definitely adapt to whatever crisis they're facing. Ultimately, she considered them _THE BEST TEAM_ she can always count on when the chips are down and things are working against the good guys. It's that particular thought that gives a comforting assurance a hopeless situation will turn out for the best.

" _I'll have my people keep monitoring the situation_. _Cleaners have been dispatched to that area. I'll contact you if they find anything but knowing your reputation_..." she pauses briefly then continues on. "… _good luck_ " Beckman added remaining visibly calm on screen.

"You got it General"

Beckman nods then the screen goes black. Almost immediately, Alex turns her attention to Sarah and Chuck. "You're going to do _something_ right. You're going after my dad and Morgan."

For Sarah the worry in her eyes is very understandable. It's the same look she had when Chuck suffered amnesia at the hands of Travis' former nanny Chloe. A former nanny who was actually the adoptive daughter of Dead Man Hand member Eliot Severs. The mixed emotions and feeling lost to where she's wasn't able to fully mentally help her husband in any way, shape, or form thanks to the efforts of his despicable doctor Leslie Burke. It drove her absolutely crazy so much so it causes the anger to build up inside her just thinking about.

In any case, Sarah shakes those thoughts and suppresses those feeling of anger for Leslie Burke down in order to focus on Alex's situation right now. For her, the 2 most important men in her life are potentially in a perilous situation and need their assistance as quick as possibly. True, they don't know what they're in for when it involves Casey's former teammates and how dangerous the 3 individuals are; but they're willing to risk it because Casey would do the same knowing their former hulking teammate.

Her thoughts concerning the matters at hand are quickly broken up by the sound of her husband's voice.

" _We got this Alex_." proclaimed Chuck with a firm nod. _"_ Beckman gave us the go ahead to do _our thing_ without actually directly saying it out loud." smiled Chuck. "It's what we do best."

"Do you guys have any idea where you're exactly going?"

"No clue." Chuck responded. "Instantly, Alex's shoulders sink upon hearing the unfortunate piece of information provided by Chuck. However, her hopes would be kept alive as Chuck continues on. "It hasn't stopped us before. So we're not giving up."

"I know you're not. So do something. Assemble!"" Alex stated.

"Hold on there Nick Fury." responded Chuck holding up both hands.

Sarah instantly chimes in. "General Beckman already sent cleaners to the campground. So, us showing up there will complicate matters even more so that's out of the question. Plus, Casey, Morgan, or both may have been captured. We have to take that into account as well."

"If that's not going to happen, what's _the plan_ then?" the young woman wondered. "I thought you guys moved fast when situations like this happen?" she added. The tension in her voice and body language tightening up.

It's at this point Sarah and Chuck are about to say something when Shannon steps forward making her presence known. "I know how you feel Alex."

" _No_..." she proclaimed. She watches as she take a moment to gently places on the floor with Clara. "... _you don't._ " Alex added shaking her head.

" _Yes, I do_!" she insisted. Shannon turns to the only daughter of one John Casey in order to face her. They lock eyes as Travis' wife begins taking. "When Travis went rogue in order to save Chuck from my brother Eddie, my _thoughts and emotions_ were all _over the place_. I became so _conflicted_ when it came between _protecting my family_ and helping save Chuck _because of my family_. Then I had a talk with Ellie..." She glances of over to the eldest Bartowski sibling who flashes a quick wink over to her. Her attention then returns back to Alex. "...she said to put her trust _in Sarah and the team_ to do _the right thing_. At the time, I was _very afraid_ of what that _right thing_ was. I imagined _the worst_ but..." Shannon pauses once again momentarily breaking eye contact. Its not long before she locks eyes with Alex again. "...I had a support system who were there for me _every step of the way_."

Alex nodded. "Sarah's mom and dad, Jayne, Devon, Cass..."

"And _you_." Shannon said placing her right hand on the side of Alex's left arm. "I remember _you were there for me the most_ and would come talk or just visit with me even when I didn't want any visitors. You didn't take no for an answer _as I recall_." She pauses once again and then speaks up. "I never _thanked you_ for what you did for me and my kids. So..." she said with an appreciative smile." "... _thank you_."

In that moment, a few tears train down both sides of Alex's cheeks. She reaches up to wipe away the tears with the back of her hand. After taking a moment to compose herself, she gives her response. "You were such an _ass_ as I remember." she faintly chuckled mixed in with the sniffles. " _You're welcome_ by the way."

"Feel better?"

"Yeah."

Ellie steps forward still holding her nephew. "If I learned _anything_ from being part of _this family_ , its we _stand strong_ when we're together. When 1, 2, or 3 of us need our help we band together _as a team_ and do whatever it takes to bring them back home."

"Ell's right Alex. She's always right." In response, Ellie sticks her tongue out towards her little brother. Afterwards, he responds back by sticking out his tongue at her then continues on. "Anyways, since this a priority 1 mission I'm going to give Bev a call and give her the rundown." He reaches up and suddenly stops as he stares at his wrist. His eyes widen.

Sarah quickly notices this. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"If they _are_ captured, _I know_ how to find them!"

 **XXX**

In that instance, Ellie still holding her nephew steps forward. "How? Like you said, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack if the needle were buried in the desert." she said shaking her head in bewilderment.

Chuck response is simply to raise his left hand in front of him. Upon doing so, Sarah's eyes widen after zeroing on her husband's wrist. "Your watch."

"What about Chuck's watch?" wondered Shannon standing beside Ellie.

"Well…" answered Chuck. He takes a step back in order to face all the ladies in front of him. "…in the early days of the team my watch served as _a tracker_ in case I ever got captured. I was considered a _highly valuable asset_ back in the day."

"Did you get captured a lot?" inquired Alex.

"You could say that." he retorted shrugging his shoulders. A slight smirk expressed on his lips. "Anyways, Casey and Sarah used the tracker on my watch to find my exact location. Practically saved my life on so many occasions. In hindsight, I now consider it more a saving grace than annoyance. Keeping tabs on me 24/7." Chuck added shaking his head. "Thinking back, I never had any privacy as…"

Chuck's rant is subsequently interrupted by the sound of a clearing throat. The source…Sarah Bartowski. " _Focus_."

"Focus…" nodded the lanky, business owner. "…right." His attention on the blonde beauty that is his wife returns to Alex. " _The watch_. Yeah, I gave it to him before he left for the trip with Casey."

"What for…" Alex asked. "…and _thank you_ by the way." she added expressing an appreciative smile. A smile that came at the right time know for the past few moments were sorely needed due to the situation at hand.

"At the time, it was just for _amusement purposes_ in case Morgan's life was threatened by Casey. Didn't think anything of it at the time. Now..."

" _Now_ it's our way of find their location knowing they've been possibly moved from the campground." stated firmly by Sarah.

"I guess we're getting the band back together." His attention is averted to Shannon. "Shan..."

He doesn't get to finish what he was about to say when Shannon speaks up with her Ihpone up to right ear. "Way ahead of you Chuckles." The mother of 3 doesn't have to wait long as the other end of the line picks up. "Babe, how fast can you get here?"

"In that instance, Sarah locks eyes with her husband. "Go bag."

"Go bag." nodded Chuck.

"I've got the munchkin' while you guys are away. So don't worry about that." smiled Ellie.

"Thanks sis." Sarah said expressing an appreciative smile towards her sister-in-law. She steps forward reaches and takes her son into her arms. "Now you behave for your Aunt Ellie ok."

"Yeah bud. Try not to pull any schemes with your cousin while we're away."

"Don't worry, they won't." replied rolling her eyes somewhat amused.

All 3 express faint laughter in the midst of a serious situation, when 2 words are said that leaves the confines of the living room completely silent. " _I'm going_ " Everyone within the living room is left speechless in an incredibly awkward way. They stare at each other then at the individual who said it...Alex." The daughter of who was once known as Alex Coburn stands there furrowing her eyebrows. A look of intensity emanating from her eyes. "Try to stop me." she sounded off.

 _XXX_

* * *

 ** _NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYING THIS CHAPTER FOLKS! SORRY FOR THE WAIT. IF YOU ENJOYED IT PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	16. Deja Vu

_Chuck vs. The Proposal_

 _ _Previously, Chuck deals with the revelation of Morgan and Casey being in trouble after flashing on an image sent by his best friend. He reveals to Ellie, Sarah, Shannon and most of all Alex that her father's former teammates have come to get their retirement checks. Chuck then contacts the person who has all the answers and who hasn't spoken to in quite some time...General Beckman. The short lived reunion is flipped upside down with Alex stepping forward making her presence known. She stands strong much to the surprise of everyone in the wrong. Beckman gives her former subordinates the go ahead to reform the band that was once broken up. This leads to Alex taking a stand in order to go on the mission with them. So what happens next? Does she go? How does the character Violet Beauregarde from the classic movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory play a part in all this? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Read and find out! Anyways, I think you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the read peeps. _Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the story._____________

 **Deja Vu**

 **XXX**

The base of the waterfall is considered to be a pristine scenic view as the falls cascade down from high above. It's a seemingly peaceful and not to mention breathtaking sight to take in but at the same time the peacefulness was momentarily disrupted by something crashing down into it with such force the mere sound of the impact itself left a resounding echo. An echo that would resonate for a few moments then gradually dissipate to where the tranquil sounds of nature take over once again.

It wouldn't take long for the natural serenity of the rippling waters of the sudden disruption caused by a massive impact to return to its natural state as nature does with such calming ease. However, that wouldn't last long as someone bursts from out of what could have been a permanent liquid resting place. That someone in question is one Colonel John Casey as he is considerably stunned from not just being tackled head on by his former teammate T.I.; but just experienced a fall from a tremendous height that could have very well killed any normal human being.

Fortunately, Casey isn't under any circumstance deemed a normal human being by any stretch of the imagination. For him, going through something like crashing down into the water from high above after being blindsided by a massive tattooed animal and not actually dying is considered a typical day in the life for the hulking government agent. In any case, after taking a moment to gather himself while treading water and sucking in air he makes his way towards shore. His pace is somewhat slow but he manages to get there inevitably crawling on his hands and knees up towards the smooth surface area of the rock terrain of the falls.

Once he gets there, he collapses and in doing so belts out a painful grunt along with spitting/coughing out water as well. He lays there on his stomach with his eyes momentarily closed as he continues his erratic breathing after being under water for several moments. The painful grunt would soon morph into a painful but incredibly agitated growl as he lifts his right arm then plants his right hand on the smooth rock surface. It's that point, he uses all his strength to push himself up on to his right side then drops on to his back where he is now laying face up.

Casey briefly squints causing him to not only repeatedly blink but shade the brightness of the afternoon sun shining down on him with his right forearm. It doesn't take long to regain his focus. Afterwards, he then covers his face then with both hands wipes away the remaining water that's on his face. Once he's done, he lets both his arms fall to either side of him completely outstretched. The fall basically took out most of his energy but it doesn't take any of his resolve whatsoever in getting some much deserved payback he thinks to himself.

 _You got me this time. Next time you're mine._ It's a thought that is a motivating factor for him to go after his former teammates who have his daughter's boyfriend. A man who since the first time he met him has been an annoying little bearded troll who somehow was able to convince his own daughter to fall in love with him. To him, a man who once stalked on regular basis Chuck's sister and wouldn't take the hint that he's completely out of his league even if it punched him right square in the face. It's a thought that causes a faint chuckle under his breathe while continuing to lie down on the flat of his back.

As he does continue to lay there, his thoughts go from Morgan who is now going to try save to his daughter Alex. In his mind, the life he's been leading practically most of his life is a considerably dangerous one at that, which can most definitely be an emotional rollercoaster for a daughter. A daughter who is still getting to know and making stronger connections with him to the point where he slowly opens up emotionally. True, he's taking baby steps but they're considered huge baby steps when it concerns himself.

The proud military vet has always ribbed those within the trust inner circle of sharing their lady feelings. Of course, whether it be through mere sarcastic intimidation or threat of body harm he has done practically everything under the sun and then some to put the fear of God into him. Unfortunately, his efforts have failed and to make matters even worse he dares say has become absolutely immune to it.

 _Have I lost my touch?_ In that instance, he starts thinking about whether he's lost his edge. Granted, being able to just walk in a room and instill fear is what he has done best. He doesn't have to utter a single word as few grunts or growls here and there do the speaking for him. Plus, the icy cold death stare has pretty much grown men cower to the point of running the other direction.

 _Will I do this forever?_ It's the next thought that creeps in. For him, being a nomad was part of the game when you're living the spy life. It primarily runs through his veins. Thinking about it further was he continues to lay there, he's changed more locations because of assigned mission from Beckman than he's changed the type of boxers he wears. There are more stamps on his passport than there are stamps when it comes to time he's been to a carnival with his daughter and girlfriend Jayne. A number he can just count on one hand and he would like to change that.

 _What am I fighting for?_ For the longest time, he has put fighting for the love of his country over the love he has within his heart. A heart that he thought turned black as night when he did questionable and unspeakable things to get the job done. Now, the life he's been accustomed to living has given the opportunity to establish a future. A future with a family and amounts of love that he can stomach.

As much as he dislikes the thoughts of showing his lady feelings to anyone, he can't help it with Jayne, his daughter Alex, and of course baby Clara. It's fight every day with himself to just let go and be happy with fact he comes home to see the smiling face of his girlfriend, daughter, and neighbor's little ankle biter. Essentially, it's the thought of not seeing those smiling facing causes the anger to rise within him, especially for his daughter. He wants her always smiling even if it's with the one half of dumb and dumber he thinks to himself.

It's because of that last thought, Casey musters all his strength and lifts his upper half up in a seating position all while faintly growling. He manages to sit upright and even though his clothes are soaking wet causing it to weigh down more, he pushes through it in order to stand up. He fails the first time, but the 2nd time he's able to accomplish it but stumbles to the side a bit. However, he's able to stead himself.

After taking a few moments, he stands straight up and know what he has to do now. He's using that anger to get where he needs to be and although his gun is at the bottom of the water, he'll have to use his tactical knife instead. He takes it out briefly from behind it, checks the compass on the bottom handle, then examines it just to make sure its intact before placing behind once again.

Before he makes way to wherever he's going, he looks up knowing there's no time for going back to Crown Vic so he'll just have to make due. In addition, he fishes out his Ihpone and already knows its out of commotion so he tosses it aside. Also, there 3 things that or will be going down: 1.) _Cleaners will be arriving soon_. 2.) _They've got a substantial lead on him_. 3.) _He's sure Packard has a way to the Zargos Mountains._ It's not long before he turns around and starts heading due west, which is away from the campground. Where exactly? Only he knows.

 **XXX**

"Alex, that sounds like a _bad idea_." Chuck stated shaking his head.

"You _heard_ me right. I'm going. " Alex stated with some emphasis.

While standing there holding her son A.J., Sarah can't help but have déjà vu all over again. It's the exact same situation occurred a year or so back when it involved Jayne. Same situation again but with an added bonus as it also involves the love of her life Morgan. She truly has empathy for the young man standing a few feet away, which is something she didn't actually have before ever meeting Chuck.

It started to show once she became an important fixture in his life as fake girlfriend. Her empathy would soon affect the way she handled situations when it came to dealing with Casey as he would deal with it in his own way. However, he would begrudgingly see it her way and work away around the problem the best way they could. She's truly thankful for her husband bringing out a part of her that is now mainstay for Sarah the mother, wife, friend, family, as well as activated spy when the time calls for it.

It's at that point, she begins to remember back part of that conversation on that particular moment in time as Alex continues to discuss matters with the former nerd herd leader.

 _"Do you_ _hear me_ _Sarah?" questioned Jayne. "I'm_ _going_ _with you." she firmly added._

 _"I heard you…" she answered slowly turning around. "…and no…" she said momentarily pausing shaking her head. "…you're not." the blonde woman softly reiterated._

 _"Yes…" she replied. She takes a few steps then stops just a few feet away from her. " …I am. If you're worried that I may get in the way or get hurt I can take care of myself." Jayne insisted pointing to herself._

 _"That's not it at all. I know you can take care of yourself. I've seen you fight and shoot. You'd make an awesome agent. The skills, strength, temperament. What the agency is looking for in a new recruit." she softly responded walking towards then stopping in front of her._

 _"Then_ _make_ _me an agent. Do what you have to do._ _Call_ _Beckman._ _Anything!"_ _she pleaded._

 _"I'm sorry it doesn't work that way Jayne. As much as I would like to_ _I can't_ _. It's not_ _my call_ _to make." Sarah begrudgingly replied._

 _"Then what?"_

 _"You are one of the_ _strongest women I know_ _and that is the_ _main reason_ _I need you_ _here_ _."_

 _"_ _Why_ _? What for?" she wondered briefly baffled concerning the vague explanation._

Sarah snaps herself out it once faintly hears the same question being asked by Alex to Chuck. Her husband is about to respond, when she intervenes by stepping forward in between her and Chuck. However, before she does that she once again no looks a handoff of their son to her nerdy husband who quickly grabs hold. After taking a step back, he stand there as his wife takes over because Alex wasn't hearing it from him.

While standing there holding his son, he can't help but think about how Violet Beauregarde was insistent on wanting to taste a piece of game from the machine but Willy Wonka played brilliantly by Gene Wilder warned her not to. She ended up turning blue and blew up like a giant blueberry because according to Wonka he didn't have the formula quite right. Fortunately, this isn't the case with Alex as she is very different from Violet and when it comes to being face to face with Sarah she is in no way have any similarities to the madly eccentric candy creator.

In any case, he watches on as the discussion between Sarah and Alex continues on with everyone standing around listening on intently. Speaking of the blonde beauty, she used to see things solely from a spy perspective. Seeing and then utilizing any or all angles in order for her way in. She was good at. Extremely good at it so much so that she had men eating out of her hands and some women as well.

In any case, now as a mother she is able to totally understand feelings of wanting to help save a loved one you'd totally risk your own life for. A life not worth living with the people you love and care about isn't a life worthy of living at all she thinks to herself. It's that at point, the discussion between the two women takes a sudden turn.

" _Fine! You're going_!" Sarah announced. Once again the living room within Casa Bartowski falls silent. Shannon, Ellie, and Chuck with his son held in his arms are completely surprised at what just transpired.

 **XXX**

It was awkwardly silent within the living room of Casa Bartowski as Sarah suddenly announced that Alex is going on the mission with a somewhat reformed Team Chuck. Ellie, Shannon and Chuck with his son in his arms look at each other expressing surprised disbelief. As much as the 3 of them want to say something, they're unable to because in their minds anything said could quite literally blow up into absolute chaos due to massive tension build up.

Fortunately, it would Sarah who would try to make sense of things since she is the one who made the apparent execute decision for her to join the team in the first place. "Look..." the former C.I.A. Agent briefly pauses. She taking a moment to find the words in order to talk to with Alex instead of to her. "...you're stubborn like your _father_. That's _plainly obvious_ right now as I was _discussing_ the situation with you."

"I'll take that as a compliment." A faint smirk appears on her lips while she reaches up to cross her arms. In that instance, a curious expression washes all over her face. "So, why the sudden180 all of a sudden?"

"Sarah?"

"Sis?"

"Yeah babe, what's up?" wondered Chuck.

Once again Sarah is briefly silent as she momentarily glances at her husband, Shannon, and Ellie. She then returns her attention back to Alex. "The _discussion_ I had with just now was _eerily similar_ to the one I had with Jayne. She didn't want to take no for an answer either." Sarah shakes her head taking a moment to think back on that particular situation once again. "She wanted to come on the mission like you did in order to save Chuck. Of course, she wanted to go more so for Casey I assume."

A small smile is expressed by Alex but would soon fall flat. She peers down then that look of intense serious returns as she locks eyes with the best damn partner her dad has ever had. "I just can't sit back and do _nothing._ I _need_ to be there with you guys. _The team_. I can't explain why. I just need to be." she stated shaking her head.

There's a momentary lull leading the eldest Bartowski sibling to speak up. "We get it. You're worried about Morgan and your dad."

"It's not just that." responded Alex.

"What is it then? Take a deep breath, gather your thoughts as best you can and then go from there." Shannon state with an encouraging smile towards her.

Alex does just that. She takes a deep breath and takes a moment gathering her thoughts. Its not long before she speaks up. "I guess…." She pauses. "…I know every daughter has a strong connection with their dad. I could _feel that connection_ whenever he'd come in at the Pie Shack I worked at in Silver Lake. I couldn't ever really explain it. It was weird."

"That's understandable." Sarah responded softly. "I had an _instant connection_ with Chuck"

"You did?"

"Nerd Herd desk at Buy More. I was _solely_ on a mission at the time."

In that moment, Chuck chimes in. "And you know how _that_ ended up turning out." he grinned with amusement bouncing his son in his arms up and down. Jovial laughter expressing from the 1 and half year old baby boy.

The young woman smiles at the sight of father and son moment of play together. A few seconds later, she regains her focus and continues on. "The connection I have with my dad. It's different in a way. I know he loves me and I love him. It's just that, he never got the chance to see me grow up. As for me, I never got to experience what _he was like_ before he became…"

" _Emotionally constipated_?" Chuck jokingly said.

"You could say that." Alex replied with a faint chuckle. "What I'm trying to see we both missed out on _important parts_ of _each other's_ lives. My mom always told stories of Alex Coburn and how much of a _loving man_ he was and _dedicated soldier_ to his country. I never got a chance to meet _Alex Coburn_. I've seen small glimpses of him here and there but I want him to be around so that I will be able to see him again. If that makes any sense." she explained. "I know I sound _selfish_ saying that?"

"I get it." Ellie responded. "I've seen glimpses of Alex Coburn whenever Casey is around Clara. I understand _wholeheartedly_ and you're _not_ considered selfish at all. _Quite the opposite_. What you're saying is you want to be there when he eventually leaves the spy life and gets comfortable enough to be the man your mom told stories of. _Am I right_?"

Alex nodded with a smile after hearing that. "Like I said, he never got a chance to see me grow up. I want him to get the chance to see my child or children grow up and be a grandpa, which is something that he never go to do. He…I…." she stops then continues on. "…we both deserve this. As Morgan, _I love him_ and he's the love of my life. So if you mess with _my man_ , you mess _with me_. I would die for him because he nearly did for me."

"I remember…" Chuck replied stepping forward continued to hold his son. "…and _I believe_ you would too for Morg. He feels _the same way_ about you. I'm glad that you two met because it shows the universe is doing something right."

A smile is shared between Chuck and Alex but that would soon end as Shannon chimes in. "Speaking of the universe, _it says_ that Travis should be here soon so go get your go bags ready when he gets here. _Scoot_ you two." she ordered in a very motherly tone.

"Ok mom." Sarah sarcastically retorted. She disappears out sight but before she does the blonde beauty speaks up. "Oh, don't tell Jayne I let Alex come. She'd be _pissed._ "

Upon saying that, Ellie and Shannon look at each other then avert their attention towards Alex. "Good luck with that." she retorted shrugging her shoulders.

Sarah quickly heads down towards her bedroom with Chuck following. However, he stops and then turns around to hand over A.J. to his Aunt Ellie who gladly takes him. Afterwards, the band that was previously broken up has been brought back together one more time to save 2 of their own.

 **XXX**

It didn't take long for T.I., Mackintosh, and Packard to get back to their black S.U.V since they knew full well there would be a sense of urgency. They full expected cleaners would be sent to their location due to the gunfire that rang out. Fortunately, they were able to make their exit from the campground itself with the bargaining chip they attained thanks to the use of Mackintosh's tazer.

A twisted pleasurable feeling to say the least by the tech expert evident by the smile of sweet satisfaction on his face. He sits comfortably in the back passenger seat behind T.I. driver. He gazes with admiration at the weapon he was able to use. For him, the sound of the electricity as it hit its target sending the little bearded man named Morgan into a momentary convulsion then immediately drops down falling flat to his face.

The successful target is sitting unconscious to his right. Mouth open and some drool coming out the left corner of his mouth. For Morgan, it's the second time he's been tazed with the 1st time being his first date with Alex. As he continues to be in an unconscious state, Packard is sitting in the right front passenger seat showings signs of absolute calm on his part. A sly smirk is expressed as they have partly fulfilled their plans of retirement but its not over just yet.

His thoughts concerning finally retiring for good are broken by the sound of Mackintosh's voice. " _How long before the rendezvous point_?"

"10 minutes."

In that instance, Mackintish holsters his tazer to where he scoots up in his chair then leans forward giving a sideways look towards Packard. "Are you sure it won't be spotted?"

"100% Mac. The pilot we paid off said the bird he's picking up in won't be able to be detected at a certain altitude by radar. So we're golden. No worries gentlemen." he answered with ease once again.

"I can just taste our retirement. So close." T.I. happily said. He pats the steering wheel of the S.U.V. with considerable enthusiasm as if it were like a drum.

"We all can big guy." Mackintosh nodded. He playfully bumps his muscular and tattooed teams on his rather larger bicep with the back of left hand. No give to it. No matter. He shrugs it off leading him to clap his hand and then rubs them together. Afterwards, starts dancing a bit while seated and reaches up to rub both fingers giving the standard sign money.

As Packard and T.I. are enjoying one part of the successful plan working, Packard is s taking into consideration the stage where they are at now. He believes they're way ahead of schedule instead behind it due to the fact that their confrontation with Casey wasn't as lengthy, which he appreciates. He thought for sure his former hulking team leader would have made it very difficult for the 3 of them to do what was needed.

Fortunately, with the assistance of Morgan who became more of an asset than anything else he was able to make the job far less challenging he thinks to himself. As for Casey, he's fully aware that they were merely able to slow him down just enough to gain a sizeable lead for their lengthy trip overseas. A trip where Casey will most certainly follow but how and in what way is an absolute uncertainly in his mind.

His thoughts concerning the matter end when he leans forward noticing a clearing on the side of the ride. "Ok, we're here. Pull over."

It's not long before the dark S.U.V pulls over and parks. Packard gets and closes his door. Once he's out he walks over to a side railing that overlooks a scene view. He looks down over the side then turns around. When he does, he sees Mackintosh jump out from open sliding door with T.I. walking past him and looks inside then turns his attention to Packard standing several feet away.

" _So_..." he yelled out over to him. "… _where is it_?" he added throwing up his hands.

As soon as he says that, Packard flashes his charming smile leading to a Sikorsky CH-53K Stallion rising up from behind him. It hovers a few feet above them kicking sand and dirt swirling around into one big mixture. For Packard, he just stands there letting the downdraft from the propeller blades whip his grey and pepper locks all around. As for T.I. and Mackintosh, they shield their eyes from the barrage of dirt/sand/rocks flying round.

The two men would eventually would be shielded by the dark S.U.V. as it lands on the other side of it a few feet away. It's not long before Packard walks past his two teammates but before he disappears out of side from the behind the van he signals both men to grab their bargaining chip. It's done with T.I. doing the not so heavy lifting and they make their way around the back of the S.U.V. towards the open doorway that Packard just jumped in through.

It takes a matter of seconds for T.I. and Mackintosh to place Morgan inside leading both men to jump in as well. After signaling the pilot to go, the Sikorsky CH-53K Stallion rises up and heads off. In the meantime, Travis has arrived at Casa Bartowski with his go bag along with both daughters in tow as it was daddy-daughters day. They head off to the Bartowski game room as Sarah, Chuck, Travis and Alex are about to head off to the Hanger but not before a quick stop at Alex's to get her go bag.

As for Casey, he manages to find himself catch a ride and sitting in the back of a pick-up truck. His intended location is still an absolute unknown.

 **XXX**

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 ** _NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE NEWEST CHAPTER AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT LONG! PLEASE REVIEW!_**


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